#Flying through the air with weapons raised toward a wizard who is very VERY quickly shifting from smug to utterly fucking terrified?

[the-punforgiven]

I know there's that whole stereotype of DMs and PCs hating each other or whatever but to be 100% honest the most joy I get out of D&D is when my players come up with some absolutely crazy batshit idea that should be absolutely impossible rules as written because as the DM I can choose to ignore that dumb nerd shit and just say "That sounds fucking rad dude, I'm giving you inspiration for that idea, now make an Acrobatics check."

[fanficimagery]

Surprise! It’s a Girl.

Imagine finding out you're not who you've been led to believe you are. You're not Y/N Y/L/N; you're Y/N Potter. But one particular wizard was against you reuniting with your little brother when you found out just who he was. In the end, you're determined to see him even if it means fighting in a war where a Dark Lord would see your brother dead.

Words: 7.2K Warnings: This is a very brief Marvel/HP crossover and some characters who've died in HP will not be dead in this. I'm a sucker for a few wizards that didn't make it to the see the end of the war. Luckily for me, I can make that happen ;) So with that said, let's just jump right into it. You might be confused, but you'll learn what's happened when Reader explains it to Harry and friends.

Also timelines? What are those? Lol.

Sitting atop the roof of the Sanctum Sanctorum, you're in the middle of meditating when someone clears their throat in order to get your attention. Everyone knows better than to interrupt meditation time unless it's an emergency, so instead of getting angry you crack open an eye to see what's going on.

The Sorcerer Supreme stands before you, his cloak of levitation clasped around his neck and expression carefully guarded as he stares down at you. "I believe it's time."

Those four words are enough to freeze the air in your lungs and bring chaos to your previously emptied mind. On the outside, however, you keep your composure as you slowly stand. "Are you sure?"

"I am." He nods. "I was keeping an eye on things overseas and extremely powerful wards went up not too long ago. However," he adds, "they're in the process of being torn down by the man who wishes the last of your family dead."

You shakily inhale and tersely nod. "I have to go then."

"You do. Go get changed and then meet me back up here. I have a parting gift for you."

Fleeing the rooftop and back inside the Sanctum, you rush towards your room and throw apologies over your shoulders when you accidentally run into people. Then when you get to your room you immediately start to disrobe and pull on the outfit that's been laid out on your bed. The spandex leather pants are easy to maneuver around in, but the red bustier vest that laces up the front is a little off-putting. You are, however, grateful for the red leather coat that goes over it and the fingerless gloves that make you feel less naked. You zip up black knee-high boots and then rush back towards the rooftop where the Sorcerer Supreme of Earth is still awaiting you.

"You'll be going in blind, Miss Potter. You must remember that." You gulp and nod, and mentally urge the Sorcerer Supreme to hurry up and get his warning speech done and over with. "You'll have to be careful when deciding who's friend and who's foe, and be extremely careful that those fighting for your brother don't mistake you for the enemy."

"I know. From what I've read about Deatheaters, they'll most likely be the most deranged looking of the bunch. Also they were dumb enough to let themselves be branded so it shouldn't be too hard to figure out who's who."

"Very well." The Sorcerer Supreme, whose hands had been clasped over his abdomen, puts his right hand forward and then turns it over. "I believe you'll need this. You've earned it." In his palm is what every sorcerer in training calls a Sling Ring- a two finger ring which can open portals to anywhere in the world.

You gasp, but slowly reach forward and grab the bronzed piece of jewelry. Slipping it over your left index and middle fingers, you smile at it before looking back up at the man who had taken you under his wing at the tender age of sixteen. "Thank you, Sorcerer Supreme."

Faintly smiling at you, he says, "I took you in during your rebellious phase and made you into a proper young witch. I believe you can call me Stephen, Miss Potter."

"Then it's Y/N. None of this Miss Potter business anymore." You both chuckle at one another, but then the seriousness of the situation you're about to walk into sinks in. Your smiles both fall and then you're looking towards a spot on the roof where it's empty.

"I got it this time," Stephen says. Raising his left hand and then outstretching his right to trace a circular pattern mid-air, you watch as a portal sparks to life and grows bigger and bigger until it's big enough for a person to fit through. Instead of seeing the New York skyline through the portal, you see a darkened courtyard with various witches and wizards torn between looking at you and looking at something in the sky. "Be safe. Let me know when it's over."

"Yes, sir." You step through the portal, raising your hands when a couple of wands are pointed in your direction. Glancing over your shoulder lets you know the portal has now been closed and you inhale slowly to gather you wits.

"Who are you?" A rather severe looking woman asks, her Scottish accent making you faintly grin. The shorter, redheaded woman at her side narrows her eyes.

"My name is Y/N Potter." And that- that gives them pause and causes their eyes to widen. "My story is a long one- one I'll gladly explain after this war is over. All you need to know right now is that I fight for Harry. I fight for my little brother."

"It's a trick!" The redhead shrilly remarks. "It has to be. We are Harry's only family."

You shake your head. "Lady, I swear upon my magic that I'm telling the truth. I was taken and then forbidden from contacting my brother by Albus Dumbledore when I found out who I was. I was learning to manifest my magic without a wand when I heard of his death, but by the time I tracked down Harry he had gone on the run."

"Albus would never-"

"Molly," the other woman cuts her off, her wand slowly lowering, "she looks like Lily."

Still in denial, Molly shakes her head. "No, Minerva. It can't be."

"We can talk all night, ma'am, but I rather help you defeat this threat. After we win this war, I'll answer anything and everything you have for me. You can take my memories, you can pour Veritaserum down my throat. I am who I say I am. I am the eldest child of Lily and James Potter."

The redhead continues to stare you down before her own wand starts to lower. She huffs. "Very well. But if I see you harm one person from the Light, I will hex you."

Your lips twitch. "Fair enough." The brief reprieve, however, is short lived. There's a thundering explosion, followed by eerie silence, and then what looks like blue ash falling down upon your heads.

Minerva gulps. "The wards have fallen. Prepare for battle."

Rolling your shoulders, you step so your feet are shoulder's width apart. "Ma'am, I've been preparing a while for this." Your hands glow red and both women's eyes widen at the sight.

Thundering footsteps has you turning towards a bridge being protected by what appears to be stone statues, and the appearance of giants rushing ahead of hollering witches and wizards churn your stomach. Some of those witches and wizards seem to jump into the air, their bodies twisting into balls of smoke as they fly overhead. So concentrating on them since they appear to be flying towards the school, you alternately flick your hands upward, aiming red orbs at each deatheater you can to stun them out of the sky.

Then when there appears to be too many to hit at once, you allow your magic to pool in your hands before raising your arms, throwing up a red net of magic and capturing several deatheaters at once before slamming them towards the ground.

"Filius!" Minerva screams.

Looking towards where the distraught witch is staring, you watch as a small wizard tries to outrun a giant swinging around a quidditch loop as a weapon. Eyes widening, you reach out with your glowing left hand and envelop the small wizard with your magic, slowly pulling back your left arm while erecting a shield with your right hand behind the wizard's back to protect him from ricocheting spells and debris.

The wizard yelps as you bring him in a little too quickly, but you manage to carefully set him down. He wobbles on his feet and stares up at you in wonder. "T-Thank you."

You grin down at him. "No problem." Then looking at Minerva, you ask, "Where do you want me?"

But Minerva is looking at you in awe herself, so it's Molly who says, "Inside. Protect the children."

"I'll do my best."

More deatheaters take flight overhead, and when you hear glass shatter and screaming children all bets are off. Your hands glow even redder and you briefly raise your hands before thrusting them downward, projecting your magic towards the ground so it'd propel you into flight. You make your entrance through a shattered window, using your magic to soften your landing before stunning deatheaters left and right. Though the second you see a deatheater cast the killing curse at kids younger than you, you switch up tactics and don't bother feeling any remorse when your spells make precise gashes that leave the deatheaters gasping for breath before collapsing in a pool of their own blood.

Other curses you fling around wrap chains around deatheaters, cause thousands of tiny nicks, or fling them into the nearest hard surface to knock them unconscious. Or worse, but you don't really care at the moment. And if you don't have an enemy of your own to fight, you're erecting shields to protect the students from being cursed themselves.

Majority of the kids, however, seem to know what they're doing so you run around the castle to see where aid is needed.

You come across two wizards who are fighting back to back, the shorter and darker haired wizard laughing and trying to reminisce with the taller and sandy brown haired wizard as the deatheaters start to outnumber them. You don't think before throwing a large red orb at a group of three deatheaters, knocking them unconscious as they're flung a good ten feet away. Then gathering enough magic for another orb, you fling it towards the other group of five deatheaters. When they fall, the two wizards stare at you in surprise.

You meet their gazes head on, something about the man with three scars running diagonally across his face almost familiar to you. But now is not the time to wonder about all that, so you merely grin. "You're welcome. In case you haven't noticed, there's a war going on. Try to keep up, yeah?" Then without another word, you take off and leave the two wizards staring after you and wondering why you yourself were so achingly familiar to them.

Dodging curses and flinging random spells of your own at unsuspecting deatheaters, you come upon another set of wizards being outnumbered by deatheaters yet again. Only these two could pass for brothers and one is cracking a joke about the deatheater he's dueling while the other one is hilariously proud of him for finally unknotting his wand.

There's a split second of distraction on their part, but that split second is all one angry deatheater needs.

"BOMBARDA!"

"Watch out!" You manage to throw up a red barrier behind the two laughing wizards' backs just in the nick of time.

You catch the exploding wall from crumbling on them, but at the cost of suddenly putting yourself under a magical strain that has you barely being able to hold the wall of debris at bay. You're struggling, hoping the two wizards collect themselves fast enough to have the smarts to move out of the way, only to end up distracted and take some sort of hex to your right side. The searing heat makes you scream out, your concentration breaking and the wall dropping. Thankfully, the two wizards you had saved jump back into action to dispatch the deatheaters before checking on you.

"That was a bloody close call," the taller redhead muses. "We owe you one, love."

You smile through the pain, your left hand reaching across your stomach to hold the wound on your right side. "Don't mention it."

The second redhead stares curiously at you. "How did you do that? I've never seen magic performed like that without a wand."

"Aw come on, Perce!" The previous redhead chuckles, slinging an arm around this so-called Perce's shoulders. "Turn that brain of yours off for mo'. A pretty bird just saved our arses." You smile sheepishly, mentally cursing yourself for blushing. The talkative redhead wiggles his eyebrows and you huff in amusement at him. "I'm Fred Weasley, by the way. And this is one of my older brothers Percy."

"Y/N. Y/N Potter." Both wizards freeze, their expressions falling and you hesitantly grin. "Yep. I'm exactly one of those Potters that you're thinking about."

Percy blinks first. "Impossible. The Potters only had one child."

"Surprise," you muse. "It's a girl!" When neither wizard reacts, you exhale tiredly. "I only found out I was a Potter when I was sixteen. I tried to get in contact with Harry, but I was prevented from doing so. However, I'm here now and I don't plan to let the same dark wizard who killed my parents and ruin my life now kill my little brother. We have loads to catch up on and I'll be damned if I let some arsehole off Harry before I have the chance to meet him."

Fred appears as if he's going to say something, but an eerie ringing fills your ears. Your hands fly up to hold your ears as if that'll stop the noise, but when you stumble back into a wall and glance up you see that Percy and Fred are affected as well if their grimaces and terrified expressions are anything to go by.

"You have fought valiantly, but in vain." The hissing voice that enters your mind makes gooseflesh break out up and down your arms, your eyes widening in horror when you realize who it is. "I do not wish this. Every drop of magical blood spilled is a terrible waste. I therefore command my forces to retreat. In their absence, dispose of your dead with dignity." You choke back a sob, not used to having someone violate your mind as such. "Harry Potter, I now speak directly to you." But that- that catches your attention and forces you to pay attention. "On this night, you have allowed your friends to die for you rather than face me yourself. There is no greater dishonor. Join me in the Forbidden Forest and confront your fate. If you do not do this, I shall kill every last man, woman, and child who tries to conceal you from me."

When your mind is completely silent once more, you lower your hands and stare at the two wizards before you. "Please tell me Harry isn't dumb enough to confront this psycho." Fred and Percy stay quiet, but they share a nervous glance at one another. You curse. "I need to find him."

"Everyone will be gathering in the Great Hall," Percy says. "We'll take you there and have you looked at."

He gestures to your side and when you glance down you can see a rather sleek looking stain running down your thigh. "Oh."

Your knees seem to give then, but Fred is quick to catch you. "There, there," he chuckles. "I know I'm handsome, but you can't swoon until you've met my twin."

You shakily smile. "You mean there's two of you? How does your mum survive?"

Fred laughs as Percy shakes his head. "By loads of threats and hexes. Now come on, we need to regroup."

Fred and Percy manage to maneuver your arms around the back of their necks as they help you walk now that you're starting to feel the effects of blood loss. There are many dead witches and wizards, and it hurts your heart to see so many young faces among them. The others are bloodied and beaten, but all are doing their best to help their peers.

When you walk into the Great Hall, it's an even worse sight. Bodies are being dragged in and laid out to be checked over, and kids are breaking down over everything that's happened. Fred and Percy continue to lead you towards a specific spot, and it takes you a moment to realize that the wizards are leading you towards a clearly distraught Molly. She's checking over a young redheaded girl before moving onto the next redhead, and it's Fred's nearly identical twin that spots you three first. The relief on his face is heartbreaking and you politely extricate yourself as the family rush over to reunite.

"Hey, mum," Fred says after everyone's been checked over by their fussing mother. "Y/N found us and took a hex while saving our bums. I think she needs a healing spell. Or three."

"A blood replenishing potion would be nice," you mumble before drowsily dropping onto a bench.

Molly rushes over to you while Fred and Percy obviously fill in the others, and the redheaded girl's eyes widen after hearing something they say before she rushes to help her mum. She quickly introduces herself as Ginny and you smile as best as you can while Molly waves her wand up and down you.

"I need your coat and shirt off, dearie."

You grimace and open your jacket so she can see your top underneath. "I'm afraid I'll have to get naked for that, ma'am."

Molly purses her lips before glancing at her daughter. "Ginny, transfigure Y/N a shirt please." She then turns to the men of her family. "Boys, I'm going to need you all to give us some room."

Your heart warms as Molly conjures a privacy curtain and gestures for you to step behind it. You do and then proceed to strip out of your jacket. When you struggle with your top, Ginny vanishes it with a sheepish smile and averts her gaze as she quickly hands you a shirt. You put it on, but then Molly is there at your side to lift it to see the gash on your right side. She tuts.

"I'll be right back. I'll have to go see if Madam Pomfrey has any potions for this."

"Wait," you tell her. "Just a blood replenisher will do. I can take care of this." She opens her mouth to retort, but you let your hand glow in front of her. "Different, remember? I can close the wound myself."

Ginny stares in awe as you hold your shirt up with one hand, your other hand hovering above your wound as your fingers dance in an intricate pattern so your magic closes the gash. Once done, you nod at Molly and she huffs in amusement before turning. Then with a flick of her wand, the privacy curtain vanishes and she scuttles off to go see about that potion. Ginny guides you to a bench, but just as you take a seat there's two wizards stumbling towards you. They're the first set of men you saved, one with shaggy dark hair and the other with sandy brown hair, and they're staring at you in clear disbelief.

"Lily?"

You frown just as all the Weasley's freeze. "I'm sorry?"

The dark haired wizard blinks, shaking his head clear. "I'm sorry, love. You just reminded me of-"

"Cub?"

Your gaze darts to the sandy haired wizard now, his shorter companion shaking his head. "Come on, Moony. I think we hit our heads a little too hard."

Cub. Moony. The nicknames strike a chord within you, but you're not exactly sure why. Your brow furrows as you try to pinpoint a dream- or was it a memory?- and between one blink and the next it hits you. "Paddy." You utter in awe as you eye the dark haired wizard, watching as he gapes at you. Slowly standing, you then look at the other wizard. "Uncle Moony. I- I remember you. I think. Toy broom. Broken vase. Accidental.. fire?"

The one you had called Paddy snorts and Moony exhales in disbelief. "H-how?"

"Dumbledore," you immediately answer. "But.. I dreamt that, didn't I? You- I'd have been too little to remember anything."

"No, Cub. You didn't." Moony steps forward and gently touches your face in awe. "Sirius and James, your dad, thought it was a good idea to get you a toy broom. You flew into a vase, broke it, and let loose some accidental magic when your mum started shrieking at them."

"That was a mighty big fire. Remus almost soiled his trousers."

Sirius and Remus. Yes, that sounded awfully familiar.

The tears come without warning and you fling yourself at them, content to find yourself sandwiched between the two wizards. They're more shocked than anything, so after a moment the Weasley's step forward.

"So she really is Harry's sister?" Fred asks. Sirius and Remus nod. "Blimey. We now have two Potters to keep an eye on."

"Sorry to interrupt, gentlemen," an older red headed wizard steps forward, someone you assume to be the Weasley father, "but how did you not know Miss Potter was still alive?"

"Dumbledore," they both say.

"I was obviously thrown into Azkaban," Sirius says. "None of my questions were answered when I asked about the children."

"We didn't even ask to see the bodies," Remus mumbles. "We just took Dumbledore's word for it. And since Harry was too small to remember, we never brought up the memory of Y/N since no one would have known of her." You take turns hugging each wizard, lingering a little longer with Remus. When he pulls out of the big, he smiles down at you. "You look like your mum."

"And you," you reach up to gently trace one of his scars, "got old." Sirius guffaws and when you finally turn around, it feels as if all the wind is sucked out of your lungs.

"You're here." Harry says as stands before you, covered in blood, sweat and dirt.

Everyone seems to hold their breath, taking a step back as you and Harry stare at one another. You blink. "You know who I am?"

He numbly nods. "Only from Snape's memories. He wanted me to know what he knew before he died. He was not happy with Dumbledore's decision after he found out you were alive and sent to America." He pauses just to stare and you sheepishly smile, then the two of you are lunging for one another. Arms wrapped around each other, you bite back a whimper when your side twinges with phantom pains. Seconds tick by and then you hear him ask, "Walk with me?"

You nod, afraid to speak and your voice crack with emotion. Side by side, you follow Harry just outside the Great Hall where a witch and wizard stare in surprise but keep their distance. Your brother quickly informs you that they're his best friends Ron and Hermione.

"It took me a long while, Harry, but I finally caught up with you," you say as he finally stops.

He huffs a quiet laugh. "You did." He then turns so he's standing right in front of you, his hands reaching for yours and holding on gently. "I'm just sorry it has to be so short lived."

Your expression falters at his words. "What?" He lets you go, stepping back with a mumbled apology. "No." Immediately you know what he plans to do and you stumble forward to attempt to catch him. "No, you're not turning yourself over."

"I have to."

"No. I'll- I'll go with you!" You start to cry again, chest aching. You just found your little brother; you can't lose him so soon.

Harry smiles sadly, a lone tear falling down his cheek. "I'm sorry. Ron and Hermione will watch over you until I get back."

"Please don't." Harry backpedals quickly now, giving you his back so he can take his leave. You try to follow, but your vision swims and the room seems to tilt. You collapse, blinking rapidly to clear your vision. "No. No, Harry." You cry some more, reaching out for your brother. "Please don't leave me."

Harry's steps falter but he pushes on and the moment he disappears from view you scream out in anguish. There seems to be a pressure on your chest, but that pressure seems to lessen as you scream. You're barely coherent enough to see a faint wisp of red shoot out from you in every direction, and are conscious long enough to hear someone mutter bloody hell before passing out.

          - - - - - - - - - -

You jolt awake, but you're not sure what's woken you. As you blink up at the ceiling, you realize it's eerily quiet. So letting your head lull to the side, you blink against the brightness of the room and realize you're alone. You're alone with the dead.

Sitting up with a groan, you glance around to see that everyone is gone. But there are voices.. and laughter? Instantly, an uncomfortable feeling settles in the pit of your stomach.

Shakily standing, you walk as fast as you can towards the entrance to the Great Hall and swallow down the bile trying to creep it's way up your throat. You stumble out the front enterance, shoving passed the small gathered crowd. Someone's giving a speech and across the courtyard there is a sea of black and- and you're going to be sick. The bald, gray skinned man must be who attempted to end the Potter line so long ago. Voldemort.

"Y/N. Y/N, wait!"

With the sea of deatheaters, just off to the side of them, there seems to be a half giant carrying a body. A body which is wearing suspiciously familiar clothing. Hands catch you by the arms, holding you back when you realize who it is the half giant is carrying, and your knees buckle. You whimper, but the voices on either side of you attempt to soothe you. When you chance a glance at them, you realize it's Fred and George.

Voldemort asks for the Light to pledge their loyalty to him, but only a single wizard stumbles forward. Neville Longbottom, he says his name is, and even as the deatheaters make fun of him the boy manages to give a heartwarming speech about none of their friends or family dying in vain. But as the hurt and sadness ebbs away, rage takes its place.

You can feel a pressure in your chest forming again and the hands on you fall away with hisses of pain. It seems as if you have tunnel vision as you stumble forward, Neville's speech falling on deaf ears. You can hear whispers of awe all around, but you only have eyes for Voldemort as his manic smile slowly starts to fall upon seeing you. Neville pulls free a sword from a crumpled hat, but still you stumble forward.

Your wrists are slowly rotating now and you sneer as Voldemort's followers seem to stare at you with trepidation. "You took everything from me," you grit out.

Voldemort starts to smile upon hearing the pain in your voice. "My dear, I don't even know who you are."

"You will." Debris from the half demolished castle starts to gather all around you as if being pulled by a magnet, forming two large balls of concrete on either side of you. Then with a deep breath, you feel the ground beneath your feet vanish as everyone around you gasps in surprise. "You were always going to die by the hands of a Potter. It's just too bad it couldn't have been my brother who ended you."

"Potter," Voldemort hisses angrily.

"In the flesh."

You slowly raise your hands, the balls of debris rising higher, but before you can catapult them Harry is dropping from the half-giant's arms. You feel your magic waver at the sudden relief that washes over you, but then Harry's firing a spell at a giant snake and Voldemort is firing back at him. There's cheering and then before the deatheaters can start fleeing, you fling the balls of debris at them one after the other.

You fall back to your feet, erecting shields to cover the backs of the witches and wizards rushing back into the castle. Then once back into the school all bets are off and all your hexes turn deadly. But your rage clouds your ability to multitask and you don't see the deatheater creeping up on you in time. Chains wrap around your throat, wrapping tighter and tighter as your fingers claw to pull it off. There's crazed laughter somewhere behind you and you don't even have the opportunity to see who was responsible before the chains loosen and they are being pulled off.

"There, there, cub. You're alright now." As you're pulled to your feet, relief floods you at the sight of Remus. "It's going to be okay." You're quick to hug him, crying softly as the side of your face presses against his chest.

A battle cry pulls your and Remus' attention towards it, and you watch as Neville beheads the large snake you had seen Harry firing spells at earlier. It seems to go quiet inside the castle after that, the deatheaters lowering their wands in shock. A moment later a cheer erupts from outside and the remaining deatheaters inside hiss as they clutch at their inner arms before fleeing altogether. Luckily, some are detained before they can go anywhere.

"Did we- did we just win?"

"Yeah, cub. I think we just did."

"Remus!" The two of you turn towards the joyous shout and you quickly step back when a woman throws herself into his arms. You smile at the reunion, heart aching at the relief and joy in your uncle's features as he hugs the woman tightly before sharing a chaste kiss with her.

Afterwards, he pulls back and turns towards you. The woman follows his gaze and she smiles kindly. "Tonks, I want to introduce you to the Potters eldest child." She gasps. "My goddaughter Y/N. Y/N, this is my wife Tonks."

You smile sheepishly. "Hullo."

"Another Potter," she breathes in awe. "Wicked."

You watch as her mousy brown hair turns a vibrant pink and you laugh as you gesture to it. "I think that's pretty wicked."

"You think so?" She muses. "Our son has the same ability and he's only a day old."

"Your son?" Your now widened eyes dart to Remus. "You have a son and you're still here?! Go!"

"Y/N.."

"No. Don't," you say. "I'm home, Moony. For good. Go to your son while I go find my brother. I'm not going anywhere."

"Okay." He steps forward to hug you. "I'll see you soon."

"Yes you will."

After Remus lets go, his wife Tonks steps in and hugs you as well. Surprised, you laugh and return the brief embrace. "See you soon, kid. Can't wait to get to know you."

"You as well," you say.

As the couple takes their leave, all you can do is look around at the demolished school and the witches and wizards as some of them have a meltdown. You spot a couple of the Weasleys celebrating the win as Molly looks on with a smile she's quick to smother when her sons point it out. Then heading for the entrance, your shoulders sag in relief when you spot Sirius coming in.

"Paddy!" Your shout garners his attention and you quickly make a beeline for him. "Have you seen Harry?"

"Yeah, pup. He's out on the bridge."

"Thanks." You quickly lean up and kiss his cheek. "We'll catch up later."

Making your way outside, your heart aches at seeing the ruins of what was clearly a magnificent school. You spot the bridge Sirius spoke of and spy your brother tossing something across the open air, only to fall down and be lost forever. His friends Ron and Hermione spot you first, the two of them offering you smiles as you approach.

Harry turns and smiles upon seeing you- a smile which you return, but then your expression goes lax as you slap at his arms one hit after the other. "If-" Hit. "You-" Hit. "Ever do that again.."

"Blimey, she really is a Potter."

"Ron, shush!"

"Hey. Hey!" Harry is quick to defend himself, catching you by the wrist so you stop hitting him. "I'm okay. It's over."

Your chest is heaving, your breathing stuttering as a sob threatens to break free. Tears silently fall before the fight drains out of you and you throw your arms around your little brother's neck. "I just found you, you dunghole. You're not allowed to die first."

Harry chuckles. "I'll do my best." As he pulls out of the hug, his hands remain on your biceps as he grins. "Did you know your eyes glow when you're angry?"

You frown, but before you can answer his friend Hermione is speaking up. "About that.. how is it your magic manifests like that without a wand? Earlier when Harry left to meet Voldemort, you fell to your knees in grief and there was- well it was like-"

"An explosion," Ron says. "Made me and 'Mione stumble some. We had to carry you back into the Great Hall where Remus and Sirius nearly lost it."

You cringe. "Sorry about that. I, uh, I actually used to have a wand until the MACUSA snapped it."

"They what!?" Harry asks incredulously.

"Yeah. School-aged Americans are quite savage," you huff. When the other three don't crack even the smallest of grins, you sigh and explain. "I got picked on quite a lot, but it was never anything that caused harm. Just some stupid pranks that embarrassed me," you say. "When I was sixteen, the pranks turned harmful. Two students caught me in a duel and when one of their hexes sliced my cheek I thought nothing of it. It wasn't until the sight of my blood made them proud and then duel even harder did my magic lash out when I was failing to protect myself. I.. I killed someone." Hermione gasps, but no one dares to say a word. "It was an accident and the Professors knew it because they'd witnessed countless attacks on me, but the government gives no second chances. So my wand was snapped and I was kicked out of the magical community over there."

"But that's preposterous!" Hermione nearly screeches. "You were a child!"

"I was a witch who killed a fellow witch." You shrug. "Apparently the American government is not very forgiving." Harry reaches for your hand then, squeezing it to show his support in you.

"So what happened?" Ron wonders. "You had to have some form of schooling to be so in control of your magic now."

"I ended up in a muggle orphanage after feigning amnesia. I spent months without casting and well.. my magic had to go somewhere," you tell him. "I had a few outbursts and my outbursts were picked up on by the Sorcerer Supreme."

Hermione seems to perk up at that. "I've never heard of that term before."

"You wouldn't have." Smiling fondly, you continue to tell them about the man who changed your life. "All around the world there are sorcerers, but instead of using a wand they master what they call a Sling Ring." You pause just long enough to flash them the ring before summoning a basic shield on both hands. "There's a hidden community of sorcerers in every country, but only one Sorcerer Supreme. He happened to find me when the outbursts kept happening and showed me a different way to manifest my magic before showing me how to master theirs."

"Wicked," Ron breathes in awe.

"Did you- did you ever look for me?" Harry wonders. His small voice makes your heart ache.

"I did." You smile sadly. "Not at first because of Albus' manipulations, but when I found out I was a Potter and had a baby brother out there, the Sorcerer Supreme tracked you down. Albus refused to reunite us and the Sorcerer Supreme did not want to start a war with the Wizarding community."

"But Dumbledore died some time ago." Ron frowns. "Why didn't you try then?"

"I did," here you huff out a brief laugh, "but some rebellious little shits decided to flee and jumpstart a war." All three blush at your words and you reach up to ruffle Harry's hair. "But what matters most is that I'm here now and no one is keeping the Potter heirs separated any longer."

The following couple of weeks proved to be both mentally and physically draining. Besides all the funerals, you lost count of how many times you told your story and felt sick to your stomach when a few would not take Remus or Sirius' words that you were who you said you were. The main thing some could not understand was why Lily would hide her first pregnancy, but it was your godfather and Sirius who told everyone that it was James' dad who made the decision to hide the pregnancy and then even longer after you were born since you were the first female Potter in quite some time. Apparently you were such a well kept secret that not even Dumbledore knew of your existence until he had sent you off and told those who knew you that you had died that fateful night in Godric's Hollow.

Sadly, it was only after a blood test done by a trusted Healer at St. Mungos did everyone finally believe. It was a relief to not be questioned, but then came the daunting task of fixing up Godric's Hollow so it wasn't such a terrible shrine to the worst night of your and Harry's life, and then reopening Potter Manor. But until the real work began, all you wanted to do was spend time with your brother and thankfully Sirius had room for the two of you to stay with him.

Waking up one morning, you frown when you hear a little bit of a racket. It doesn't appear to be a worrisome sounding racket when you stick your head out the bedroom door, so you take the time to freshen yourself up in the bathroom and make sure you're decent for whatever company is downstairs.

Tiptoeing downstairs, you hold your breath as you pass the covered portrait of Sirius' mum less you wake the old hag up and have her screeching for hours. Then pushing the swinging door open, you smile at the sight of Molly Weasley at the stove and her twin sons chatting back and forth with Sirius.

You spot your brother several seats down from them and enter the kitchen to sit down next to him. He smiles when he sees you and you nudge his arm when you're finally seated. "What's going on?"

"Molly wanted to make us breakfast and to make sure Sirius was taking care of us properly. Your boyfriends tagged along and were being too nosy for her liking."

You huff a laugh. "Not my boyfriends."

"At least not yet."

You roll your eyes, grinning at your brother before nudging him again. The twins had taken a shine to you and it's something everyone found quite hilarious. Their flirtatious behavior was nothing serious, but you were grateful that they accepted you so quickly.

Plates full of scrambled eggs, hash browns, sausages, bacon and grilled tomatoes are floated over, followed by a jar of marmalade and a pitcher of orange juice. Molly then brings over a stack of buttered toast and happily pats you and Harry on the shoulders. "Alright, my dears. Dig in. Boys!" She then calls. "To the floo. Let Sirius, Harry, and Y/N eat in peace."

"But mum-" Fred whines.

"-we haven't seen Y/N in ages," George finishes.

Sirius grins as you scoff. "First off, you boys haven't even said hello to me since I walked into the kitchen. And second it's only been three days."

"And that is a terrible mistake on our part," Fred says as he scoots down the bench you're seated on, slinging his arm around your shoulders and smooching you loudly on the cheek. "Hello, love."

"Fred Weasley!" Molly whacks her son upside the head and Harry snorts out the orange juice he'd been sipping. "You leave Miss Potter alone and get going. You too, George."

Sirius laughs as the boys pout but do as they're told. You wink and blow George a kiss who proceeds to pretend he catches it and then pockets it. Laughing, you shake your head in amusement before looking up at their mum. "Thank you, Mrs. Weasley, for the delicious looking breakfast. I didn't know how much longer I could pretend that Kreacher's breakfast was good."

Molly beams, but before she could reply Sirius is huffing. "That dreary old bat just needs to be put out of his misery."

"Oh Sirius, be nice. I'm sure he's not all that bad," Molly admonishes him. You, Harry, and Sirius all snort and she tuts at all three of you, but you and Harry are the only two to grin apologetically at her. "Well if that's all, I shall be going. I'll see you three for dinner."

"No, no. This'll be all for today, Molly," Sirius assures her. "The kids are going to start reclaiming what is rightfully theirs today. We'll most likely swing by Tom's tonight."

"Well alright." Molly pats you and Harry on the shoulder one last time. "I wish you two the best."

After Molly whisks her sons back home, the three of you left at the table enjoy the breakfast she had cooked up. Halfway through Remus shows up and plops down on the opposite side of you, stealing food from your plate as he makes small talk with Sirius in between bites.

Once the food is gone and Sirius has summoned Kreacher to clear the table, all the attention is on you and Harry.

"So what's the plan, cub? Are you really going to demolish Godric's Hollow and rebuild?"

"Yes," you answer Remus. "I don't know about everyone else, but I believe it's a disgrace to mum and dad's memory that the home they were murdered in was left as is as some sort of memorial. It's sick," you say. "If they wanted to memorialize it, then a picture should have been taken to be put in a history book or a plaque be put up.

"Do you plan to live there?" Harry asks. "Because I can't see myself making a home where my earliest memory is of mum screaming as Voldemort threatened her."

"Oh Harry." Under the table you reach for your brother's hand, squeezing it in comfort. "I'm sorry you have to live with that. But yes, I'll take Godric's Hollow. Potter Manor is always passed to the male heir anyway, so you don't have to worry about it."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes. I don't remember anything from that night, and even though I know mum and dad died there I believe in making happy memories where they once lived. I think they'd like that."

He smiles. "Me too."

"Aww! Would you look at that," Sirius coos. "Seeing the two of you together, James and Lily would be proud."

"'Course they would," you muse, releasing Harry's hand and then slinging your arm around the back of his neck to bring him in closer while touching your temple to his. "We're adorable."

"Humble too," Remus huffs, pinching your cheek. He laughs when you swat at him. "So are you two ready? It's going to be quite the tiring day."

You and Harry glance at one another, sobering up some and nodding. "Let's get to it."

[ren-c-leyn]

To Avenge the Sun

It’s been a long time since I’ve done a fusion story, so, here we go. This one is done using this prompt by @clean-prompts, this prompt by @oopsprompts, these 1,2 prompts by @scandy-prompts, this prompt by @givethispromptatry, this prompt by @inspiring-prompts, and this prompt by @promptsforthestrugglingauthor.

 It’s a comedic fantasy adventure about slaying a vampire... when you aren’t really a competent hunter. That being said, there is a death, some injuries mentioned, one of the heroes gets captured, but there’s nothing really gory or detailed.

~

 I still remember that day. I was sitting on the porch, relaxing after our latest adventure. The clouds drifted lazily past, forming shapes as they went. And then... it happened.

 Without warning, the sun broke- shattered into a hundred pieces. And all I could do was watch in horror, as the pieces drift over the horizon. The light dimmed instantly, and faded away as the little pieces vanished. I was left sitting in the dark, trying to piece together what had happened when the echoes of footsteps came up beside me.

 “Well, it looks like I’m killing a vampire today.”

 I nearly choked on my coffee.

 “What do you mean, kill a vampire today?! And how would you kill a vampire anyways?”

 “Never heard of a knife?”

 I just stared at where I figured my partner’s face was. Though, I quickly realized it was pointless. In this darkness, they couldn’t see my shocked and disappointed expression.

 “The sun just exploded... and you want to kill a vampire?”

 “To avenge the sun, duh.”

 “What makes you think a vampire destroyed the sun?”

 “Who else would have means and motive?” 

 I sighed.

 “I don’t know... maybe a dark wizard who hated mornings or something.”

 “Well... sure, maybe. But I’m betting it’s that vamp we heard about, Lord... whatshisface.”

 “I sincerely doubt that’s his name.”

 “Whatever, point still remains. He was into weird magic, killing worshippers of the sun goddess, and generally bad stuff. So, even if he isn’t the guy who killed the sun, it’s probably a good idea to deal with him before he deals with us.”

 That... was a point I couldn’t argue with.

 “I suppose you have a point... but we’re not equipped to deal with vampires.”

 “Don’t be so negative! We’re equipped for battle, we’ve handled tough monsters.”

 “Ones that we more brute force and less magic and weirdness!”

 I heard them shrug.

 “Things could always get worse.”

 “Which is why we’re going to do something very stupid....”

 “Better to die a fool than a coward! Now let’s get started. Where do you keep the torches?”

 We fumbled around for a while, gathering supplies and gearing up. I had a bad feeling about this, taking a vampire in eternal darkness, but I couldn’t let my friend go alone, either. The story of how I became an adventurer....

 We stopped by the local temple, picked up holy water, and made our way into the twisted forest where the vampire lord... whatever his name was, was supposed to live. It felt kind of rude, barging into someone else’s house to kill them. But then again, destroying the sun was pretty rude too, if my companion was correct about who did it.

 We wandered through the forest for what felt like forever. My torch was beginning to burn low and they had finally lit their own.

 “Are we lost?”

 “No! I know exactly where we are… I think.”

 “So we are lost. Wonderful.”

 “Hey, if navigating without the sun is so easy, why don’t you come up here and lead the way!”

 “Navigating without the sun isn’t easy, which is why I wanted to stay home and leave vampire hunting to an expert.”

 “Yeah, but....”

 A flapping sound silenced our argument. We both stopped and held our breathes, listening. Whatever was flying around us was big. Really big. Every once in a while I could catch some glimpse of movement, but never could focus on the creature.

 “Get ready, it’s coming,” they whispered.

 I nodded and readied my spear. My muscles tensed as I held the torch higher and sunk into a battle stance, preparing to lash out at whatever beast came forth. The flapping sound filled our ears, making it hard to tell where the creature was. I swallowed and swept my gaze around our small circle of light, searching for it.

 But none of it mattered in the end.

 The claws sunk in from behind me. Something between a yelp and a scream escaped me as the impact sent my torch hurdling towards the ground. Dead shrubs and leafless trees fed the hungry flames, casting horrifying shadows across my friend’s face as they shouted.

 “You let go of my adventuring buddy right now, you stupid bat!”

 Bat?

 I looked up, but all I could see was a deep darkness above me. Occasionally a patch of dark fur would gain an orange sheen from the fire. Using those patches to guide me, I thrust up with the spear. I knew it punctured something, I felt it, but the creature didn’t so much as flinch. It just picked up speed. Before I could blink, the growing fire was a mere speck behind us.

 Desperate, I ripped the spear back out and stabbed it again. And again. And again. Nothing happened. There wasn’t even blood. Just those sickening sounds. The fifth, or maybe sixth, time I stabbed, it gave me an annoyed sigh. 

 When I began to pull the spear out, there was a set of glowing red eyes staring at me. The upside down bat face was ugly, and creepy, and maybe a little scary.... It squinted, or maybe glared at me. I glared back. Out of defiance, or maybe annoyance at the way this entire day was going, I pulled on the spear more. It glared harder, but I finished pulling the spear out. There was a moment where I was sure it was basically saying ‘don’t you dare,’ but my friend’s rebellious nature had rubbed off on me. I stabbed up again.

 But this time, it went terribly.... The bat began spinning, doing barrel rolls, flying up really steeply before dropping down towards the earth. I would have been screaming loud enough for the entire forest to bear witness to my terror, except I couldn’t force the air out of my lungs. Before long, I felt terribly sick. Dizzy, disoriented, if I could see anything it probably would have been spinning. My spear was long since abandoned, probably sitting somewhere in a dead tree. And eventually, I just passed out.

 When I came to, I was in a strange, candle-lit room. I still felt off. Tired, still kind of sick, mostly dizzy. And there was a weird, pale, greyish, dead-looking guy sitting in a fancy chair, staring at me with red eyes. He grinned, showing his fangs.

 “Have fun on your flight over the forest?”

 “No, but I bet you had a good time watching it, Lord... Whateveryournameis.”

 He gave me that same glare that the ugly bat did.

 “My name is Silvan.”

 “Sil, then.”

 “Silvan.”

 “Yes, Sil for short.”

 He groaned.

 “Humans are impossible, adventuring ones more so.”

 “Can’t argue with that,” I replied. “So, what’s the deal, Sil? Why’d you blow up the sun?”

 “Because mornings are annoying.”

 It was my turn to frown. I hated it when they were right... but he did do it because he hated mornings, so I was partly right to.

 “Just when I’m finally waking up, or finally have everything in place for my plans, morning comes and ruins it all. All of that color and sunlight. Bleh, night is better. Night is superior, and yet we must suffer through daylight.”

 I couldn’t help it. The giggles had started before I could stop them.

 “Is this a joke to you?”

 “I am laughing, aren’t I?”

 He frowned at me.

 “You can’t possibly be one of them....”

 “Them who?”

 He paused, leaning forward in the purple chair as his eyes went wide. In a hoarse whisper, he said two words.

 “Morning people.”

 I stared at him for a second and then laughed so hard I thought I was going to pass out again.

 “You are!” he shouted as he jumped to his feet. “No, no! I can’t have a morning person as a minion! You’ll be awake at those holy hours, singing and banging things around!”

 It went on passed that, but my laughter drowned most of it out. I wished he’d stop talking so I could catch my breath, but the longer he complained the harder I wheezed.

 “I will end you, sun lover!” he finished, drawing a sword from the back of his chair.

 My laughter stopped and I jumped to my feet, searching for a way out. But he was right in front of me before I could find one. The sword raised above his head but he paused and coughed up some blackished goop.

 “Ew!” I shoved him back. “Don’t cough that gunk up on me. Use the stupid sword if you’re going to kill me!”

 “I told you a knife would work!”

 The vampire turned on the new voice coming from the doorway.

 “You will pay for that!”

 Another knife knocked the sword out of the vampire’s hand, but didn’t stop Sil from punching my friend in the face. I heard a sickening crack as I searched for a weapon. Seeing only one, I grabbed the sword and rushed forward as fast as I could. My friend was stabbing the vampire with about as much luck as I had stabbing the bat, but I drove the sword through where I thought a heart should be and there was a horrible hacking sound before he turned to dust.

 Without the vampire there, I realized I was just pointing a sword at my friend... who was covered in black gunk. I tossed the sword aside and looked back at them.

 “Are you ok?”

 “Yeah, I’m fine.”

 “You’re bleeding though!”

 “You think my nose has never been broken before? I’m fine. Besides, we need to figure out how he broke the sun so we can get some mage to fix it.”

 “Fine, but at least let me set it... it’s really crooked.”

 They yelped as I set it straight before grinning.

 “I guess we’re vampire hunters now!”

 “No, we’re just lucky idiots.”

 “Fair,” they replied before heading off to find out what Silv... whatever his name was, did to the sun.

~

Taglist, feel free to ask to be added or removed:

@silvertalonwriteblr, @inspiring-prompts, @greenwood-writes, @wemitodd, @elkatheinkstained, @n1ghtcrwler, @writingiswilde, @say-no-to-negativity,  @wordshavings, @nemowritesstuff, @likelyfantasywriterspsychic, @dawnoftheagez, @orphicodysseywrites, @hannahs-creations, @writer-candy, @kaylewiswrites, @ravenpuffwriter, @tenacious-scripturient​, @ofinkblotsandscript, @mischiefiswritten,  @kespada, @asterannie

[darkelfshadow]

Session Summary - 94

AKA “Sticks And Stones”

Adventures in Taggriell

Session 94  (Date: 18th September 2020)

Players Present:

- Rob (Known as “Varis”) Elf Male.

- Bob (Known as “Sir Krondor) Dwarf Male.

- Paul (Known as “Labarett”) Elf Male.

- Travis (Known as “Trenchant”) Human Male.

- John (Known as “Ragnar”) Dwarf Male.

Absent Players

- Arthur (Known as “Gim”) Dwarf Male. <Played by Bob>

NPC

- (Known as “Naillae”) Elf Female. <Controlled by Travis>

Summary

- Moonday, 8th Desnus in the year 815 (Second Era). Summer.

- The party begin this session, in the mid morning, still in the corridors of the lair of Adult Green Dragon, Chuth, and the forces of the Cult of The Dragon Queen.

- Trenchant, using his Elven Cloak and Boots Of Elvenkind, sneaks forward whilst the rest of the party rest after their last battle. Trenchant discovers a lit side chamber and a dark store room.

- Labarett detects magic from the lit side chamber and he sees a glowing arcane ward protecting the entrance of the chamber. Exploring the store room first, eight bottles of Elven Evermead are found and taken. A large water barrel is rolled out towards the lit chamber and then pushed past the arcane ward and to get stuck at the doorway of the chamber.

- Naillae remembers the Cult often uses the phrase “Blessings Of Tiamat” as an arcane ward. Hoping that this Arcane Ward uses the same phrase, Sir Krondor says the phrase and safely steps over the ward and up to the water barrel. The Dwarf Knight smashes the barrel to pieces with his enchanted war hammer, water begins pouring out and filling the floor of the chamber.

- Entering the lit room, they find a log frame bed, a large chest, a comfortable looking upholstered chair, rich carpets, and hanging tapestries on the walls. A knocked over and discarded wine cup lays on the floor near the chair, wine spilled onto the floor in a puddle, as if someone left in a haste.

- At the far end of the chamber, Gim finds a small hidden button under one of the tapestries. Pushing it makes a section of the stone wall move slightly back, revealing a secret door into another chamber.

- Naillae and Varis disarm a trap on the chest to find an elaborate mirror and a blue gem. Labarett informs the party both items are magical. Nedumlin refers to the gem as “the old magic” and the party realise they have found another Moon Gem.

- Whilst the chest is being dealt with, Sir Krondor, Gim and Ragnar move into the next hidden chamber. A long but mostly empty chamber with no apparent exit. A simple shrine to the Elven God Fenmarel Mestarine, god of outcasts and the forlorn, sits at the far end. Nearby a journal rests on a small wooden stand. The Dwarves try to read the journal but it is written in Elvish. Sir Krondor notices small smudges of red wine on the floor, as if someone from the proceeding room had stepped in the split wine and run here. The wine goes directly to a section of stone wall.

- The rest of the party move into the room with the Dwarves and Trenchant reads the journal. It contains the incoherent ramblings of a mind in turmoil. The hand writting changes often and the book is almost beyond understanding. All Trenchant can learn is that the book is written by Neronvain, oldest and banished son of King Melandrach, who blames not only his father for his “betrayal” but also all the Elven people. And he seeks revenge.

- The section of stone wall that the wine leads to is pushed open and the party see a small room with a single lit torch in a metal ring on the wall. There is no other apparent exit. Sir Krondor and Gim enter the small room and Sir Krondor twists the torch. It turns slightly with a click. A small, narrow section of the stone wall opposite opens ajar.

- Gim and Sir Krondor enter through the small opening to find a massive chamber, with a ceiling so high that it is beyond their vision. At one end of the chamber is a large pool of water, with a low barrier surrounding some of it. On the other end is a pile of glinting treasure, coins and gems. A burnt body lays next to the pile of treasure. Two large massive metal grates are visible on the stone walls. Standing near the opposite wall is a muscular green dragon, Chuth, with a male Elf seated upon it, Neronvain.

- Neronvain wears purple robes and armour, and his face is hidden by the large Green Dragon Mask. Around the neck of the dragon is a large, thick metal collar with glowing arcane symbols, one of the Dragon Collars that the Red Wizards of Thay have devised to defend both Dragon and Rider against magic.

- Battle starts immediately, with Neronvain cackling out rhymes, his mind obviously broken. When Neronvain sees the party is protected by arcane means against poison, he uses his magic to open the two large metal grates, allowing numerous Guard Drakes to pour out and attack.

- Chuth launches himself into the air, hovering just ten feet off the ground, just out of range of most of the party, but still within range of the Dragon’s teeth and claws. The air from the mighty wings, beating down upon the party, forcing them to keep steady and stay on their feet. Again and again the wind beats the party down, knocking them over.

- Ragnar soon learns that his spells are mostly useless due to the Dragon Collar and instead he wields his divine magic towards the swarm of never ending Guard Drakes. Varis is dealing the most damage, his arrows striking true, even through the arcane Shield that Neronvain keeps raising around himself.

- Cackling, mad with laughter, Neronvain launches himself towards Varis and leaps in front of the surprised archer. Neronvain draws out his rapier, as it begins to glow purple, two faint lines of energy now linking Varis and Neronvain together in battle of wits.

- Trenchant recognises the weapon, the Rapier’s Wit. The two are now locked in psychic battle, forced to mock and outdo each other in a contest of wits.

- Meanwhile Chuth is dealing with the rest of the party, as they struggle to deal with both the Dragon and the Guard Drakes.

- Trenchant casts Fly upon Gim, and the Dwarf soars upwards to engage the Dragon. Meanwhile, the Dragon continues knocking over the party on the ground with the air from its wings, and then attacks those laying helpless upon the ground.

- Varis is firing arrow after arrow, point blank into Neronvain, and with each arrow Neronvain just laughs like a madman. Varis is forced to speak, hurling insults and mockery, though they are not very good ones. A high pitched voice, like steel grinding on steel, speaks from the Rapier, “Oh dear. Is that the best you have. You must try harder if you wish to best Neronvain. I hope I do not become your weapon! You have the tongue of goat, and the mind to match!”

- With one final arrow, and one final insult, Varis dispatches Neronvain who tumbles into the adjacent pool sinking. The Rapier’s Wit falling into the water, the steel voice screaming, “Don’t leave me here ….” but the voice is cut short as it sinks underwater.

- Trenchant, seeing Neronvain fall into the water, begins to move away from the Dragon and towards the far shadows near the pool.

- Labarett smashes another Guard Drake away, “Don’t let Neronvain die! He must stand before King Melandrach and answer for his crimes!”

- Varis dives into water and tries to pull Neronvain back but the armoured figure is too heavy for the Ranger. The pair sink lower into the dark waters.

- Trenchant, now hidden in the shadows casts Disguise Self to change his appearance to that of Neronvain. He stands up, making himself visible to Chuth and shouts, “Come here so I can mount you!”

- Chuth leaves the battle, slowing and cautiously approaching the disguised figure. The figure looks like Neronvain but does not act like him, nor speak like him. Trenchant curses under his breath as he realises that Neronvain always spoke in riddles and rhymes.

- Meanwhile Varis is still trying to pull the real Neronvain back up to the surface. He pulls and pulls but to no avail, the breath held his in lungs are burning. Lower and lower they sink, and Varis realises it is hopeless. Then suddenly the water around him begins to rush upwards, pulling the body of Neronvain and himself up with it. He races up, the light becoming stronger through the water until both he and Neronvain are brought out of the water on a raising wave as it crashes onto the stone floor depositing them both there. Ragnar stands before him, hands outstretched as he controls the water, divine magic glowing from his fingers.

- Labarett kicks away one of the Guard Drakes and then rushes over to the dying body of Neronvain and casts Spare The Dying, to keep Neronvain from death’s door, whilst Varis rips the Green Dragon Mask off Neronvain’s face.

- Chuth, moving closer to the disguised Trenchant, sees the unmoving body of the real Neronvain, and he turns with eyes filled with anger towards the disguised Trenchant. The Bard realises immediately that his plan has failed as Chuth leaps towards him and begins clawing and bitting at the Bard without mercy. In his anger, Chuth has finally come down to the ground level, hovering just over the surface of the pool.

- The rest of the party now have a chance, whilst some of them keep the Guard Drakes at bay, the rest engage Chuth. Gim flies around the Dragons head, smashing his great axe all over it. The Dragons head snaps upwards, trying to snap the flying Dwarf in its jaws but Gim flies quickly downwards. He flies underneath the beast and runs his great axe along the length of the beasts belly. Blood and intestines begin to pour into pool, turning the blue water to red. With one final scream the dragon falls into the pool. A massive wave of red water splashes up and over the party, as Chuth sinks downwards into the dark depths. The remaining Guard Drakes run away in panic.

<And as the party watch the large green form of the Dragon sink out of view in the now red waters, that is the end of the session.>

XP Allocation

Group - Combined (This is equally divided by the number of players who were involved)

Quests (Only quests that are completed or rendered undoable, during this session, are shown here)

- “Sticks & Stones My Break My Bones” - Capture Neronvain Wyrmspeaker Alive = 500 XP

Creatures Overcome

- Chuth (Adult Green Dragon) = 13000 XP

- Guard Drakes = 3150 XP

Individual (This is only given to that person and is not divided amongst all players)

Special Bonus (Outstanding Role Playing)

Nil

XP Levels and Player Allocations

Player : Start +  Received = Total  (Notes)

Rob : 121539 + 2378 = 123917

Arthur : 97133 + 1783 = 98916

John : 92062 + 2378 = 94440

Travis : 111437 + 2378 = 113815

Paul : 100920 + 2378 = 103298

Bob : 111191 + 2972 = 114163

NPC (Naillae) : + (1189)

[vg11k]

Fire and Blood - 3

With a slow gesture, he put a golden coin on the bedside table. A sad smile on his face, he looked at the sleeping couple. Her name was Roxanne and he was Romuald. He was a native of this town, Grissenwald, but she came from a hamlet nestled on the edge of the mountains. She had left the city three years ago to move in with him. He was a courier and had met her when he came to bring a letter to his father. He had seen enough to know that they would soon be parents.

Their breath was much weaker than when he arrived, but they were still breathing. He had been as delicate as possible despite his dangerous thirst for murder. Their life, both physical and intimate, went by in his mind. Within minutes, he knew the area as well as the two lovers. He took a step backwards, his hands shaking with slight tremors. He shook his head, trying to resist the insistent call of their two still beating hearts. Because yes, both were alive. As often as possible, he let his victims live.

Several centuries ago, he finally understood that he could never get rid of this thirst. Also, as his convictions and those of his mentor flowed through his veins, he had decided that no human life should be sacrificed. No one should suffer from his condition, which he considered to be a disease for which they were desperately seeking a cure. And six centuries ago, his mentor finally found out. He had thrown a huge dragon out of his lair, bloodless, and then straightened himself with the weapon in his hand. He had been screaming for long minutes for this deliverance, for the joy that now permeated him. It was so full of energy, stolen from the behemoth, that he had healed.

Today, Manesh' k wanted nothing more than to imitate him. He leapt through the open window and rushed into the alleys for a while. Roxanne and Romuald would have a hangover tomorrow. He shrugged his shoulders. The gold he had left them would more than compensate for Romuald's two days away from his job. The exchange was fair. He should now try to forget the memories he had stolen from them. The curve of the hips that Roxanne exposed to him with a mischievous smile imposed itself a few seconds among his thoughts. He had a resigned smile when he thought it would be complicated.

The plates of his thick armor slipped quietly as he ran under the night. With the release of a feline, he jumped on the ledge of a nearby building, before bouncing off its summit with a slight step despite its heavy weight. Raising the sheath, he sat down cross-legged and did not say a word.

Several creatures were flying around his arms raised. Owls, ravens and bats swirled around the individual in lighter cuirasse. They would land on his arms and yell high or croak from time to time. After a few minutes of this ballet, they all landed on his shoulders or armour, or on tiles as close to him as possible. He turned his luminous gaze towards a motionless, attentive Manesh' k.

He is not alone, said the other vampire, his absent gaze jumping from raptor to bat. They see him a few times, but it was mostly his two apprentices who came out of their den. A girl and a man. She manages to lift very old bodies that she hides in the forgotten crypts hidden in the woods. He seems less gifted. On the other hand... his face and smell is rarely the same.

What does that mean? interrupted a third vampire in armour as he came along, followed by a fourth one.

The winds are altered, he replied enigmatically. There are other magics at work here.

Manesh' k nodded his head. He was going to speak when the other resumed.

We are not the only foreigners. New soldiers arrived recently. A sigmarite and a wizard from Altdorf are here. They patrolled the city, the woods and sewers all day long. But they must not be aware of our presence, even if the sorcerer passed very close by during the day.

Suddenly, all birds and other flying things flew away in a chaos of feathers and fur, sparkling with anger. The four vampires had also felt the intrusion, as the animals were finally dispersing.

All of them turned in the same direction, where the air suddenly fogged up before the wave disappeared.

It is a W' Soran's offspring, inferred one of the vampires in armor, turned in the direction in which the ghost had fled.

In this case this walking corpse will not leave the city, spit out the second one with anger.

*

Here, said Brother Brandit as he passed in front of the building, looking harmless.

Holding his hammer bare-handed, he approached the door and knocked without hesitation.

He was opened after several minutes of waiting. A half-faced face with a lot of make-up appeared in the gap that the safety chain allowed. The woman detailed them with an inquisitive eye, without saying a word.

Good evening, simply declared the priest. We...

What does a eunuch do in front of my establishment, she preceded it with an acid tone.

We are currently looking for four missing women, said John, who smiled as he pulled off his hat. We are concerned about them and look for any clues that might lead us back to them.

You come in, she ordered, continuing to keep an eye on the religious. The others are waiting for you.

All three agreed.

Are you sure about this? John whispered to the priest.

For any answer, he handed him the weapon which the repurgator touched. He could feel the gentle warmth through the leather of his glove. He made a grimace. The last time his hammer was so hot was several years ago. In an old man terrified by his last hour who had ended up in a pustuous abomination...

He rolled his wrist with a rattle suffocated by his coat as he walked in smiling. With the hat in his other hand, he swept the place with a sharp look as the door closed behind him. Thick carpet, velvet profusion and veils concealing many exits. He hated places like this where dozens of enemies had no choice but to find good hiding places.

Hiding his nervousness behind a warm smile, he noticed that once the woman's face was properly lit, she had tears in her eyes.

Who are you and what are you looking for in my establishment? she questioned him with a faulty voice.

My name is John. I've just arrived from Nuln to find several missing persons who...

He did not have time to finish his sentence, the woman collapsing on him, his cheeks flooded with tears.

I don't know what it took, she sobbed immediately as he tried to spread his apparently free arm. We never receive before noon or outside, but... he said that his master... and I accepted !

She plunged her face against him and burst into tears, her words drifting in an incomprehensible flow. John sighed, turning his wrist again in a discreet click. He put his hand on his back.

Ma' am, I swear to you that I will do everything I can to help you, he said in a harsh voice that made her stop crying for a moment. But for that, you have to tell us everything that happened here.

*

You say you only have an inaccurate memory of what happened after he laid his hand on your shoulder? said John about an hour later, as Leon continued to blacken his notebook.

She nodded shyly. Her cheeks were black with make-up after wiping them, which could have been funny in another situation: the kidnapper had struck again despite the patrols of Rechald.

Without sounding rude, can you remove the scarf around your neck, show us your bare shoulder? asked the man in the hat.

She frowned.

It is the skin where the man laid his hand on you that I want to see, he reassures her with a new smile.

The priest lifted up his eyes to heaven, exasperated both by the behaviour of this woman and the ease with which she was manipulable. There was no need for gifts, he thought as she was executing and the red rose to her cheeks. She seemed ready to do any... His thoughts stopped abruptly when he saw her shoulder. She hiccuped when she saw it. Thin dark filaments ran beneath the skin, all connected by a punch of coagulated blood, similar to a dark flake tattooed under her skin.

With a hard face, John took off his hat and leaned over the mark, holding the woman's arm firmly. Leon, with his eyes wide open, stood up to see better.

What... what is this... this! She stared from John to Brother Brandit, passing through the apprentice. Take it off me, take it off...

Quiet! Aboya the priest with a stentorian voice.

She grew a frowning, but obeys with a disconfident mine. John quickly guided her to the nearest chair where he forced her to sit. Wise precaution because she blurred on sight, on the point of failing.

Do you have any idea what this is about, asked Brother Brandit in mid-voice, he and the repurgator having moved back slightly, leaving the shaken woman in Leon's care?

I have an idea, but it has nothing to do with a necromancer, he replied darkly, passing his hand through his hair. The thing that stung her gave her something, which is surely the reason for her cooperation with our man. A substance that would have altered his judgment. A drug maybe.

Brother Brandit digested the information.

A person who has fun terrifying people with surgical equipment ?

Possible. But I've never heard of such a poison or similar brand before. We will have to keep an eye on this woman and see if this kind of thing has ever been mentioned in Grissenwald. Now let's go, we won't find anything more tonight.

*

This is where they last saw the man. He brought in four women in two times today.

The four undead were still perched on a roof and faced the building glued to the neighbouring houses. This one was no different from the others. Except that each one of them could perceive the emptiness that reigned there. No heart resonated in the house.

Did he come out again? questioned one of them.

No. There must be a secret way out, he replied.

All four remained silent for a few minutes, silently observing the alleyway and the dark building.

Lead us to the girl, finally declared Manesh' k.

*

Brother Brandit almost dropped his weapon when it caught fire with an inner light. Stunned, he looked at his war hammer now orange-coloured. The heat shedding was unprecedented. Forbidden, John also kept his eyes on it. Never before had they seen a relic of Sigmar so vividly manifested. Manifestation that was related to the evil that the hammer perceived.

That's... that's impossible, begaya Leon.

None of the two adults dared to contradict him. Illuminating the alleyway with its radiant glow, their situation seemed almost unreal to them.

Never a necromancer could pose such a threat, whispered John who was hiding his trouble behind a marble mask.

The priest nodded, as he felt the weapon was getting warmer and warmer!

Whatever it is, it's coming!

As soon as he had finished his sentence, a concert of croaks, hoarseness and roaring wings from the sky raised their eyes. Under the cover of a veritable cloud of nocturnal birds, several shadows leapt from one roof to the other.

We mustn't lose them! cried John, pulling his companions out of their stupor.

He rushed into a first alleyway, his coat slamming behind him. Already the hammer was becoming less luminous, falling from its sudden glowing shine to the dull burst of polished metal. What were these creatures to provoke such a reaction? Never before had his own mentor witnessed such a thing !

They ran for several minutes through the maze of streets that was Grissenwald, guided by birds and the declining light of the weapon. The echo of their race echoed when they passed over one of the few cobblestone sections or slipped into muddy puddles. Many beggars ran out of the way as they overturned a few barrels obstructing them or cut small properties through the gardens.

They flowed from a narrow alleyway into a larger avenue, the emanation of the hammer returning in intensity. All three quickly spotted their targets thanks to the profusion of birds surrounding them. The said targets did likewise, having obviously noticed the weapon appearing to be incandescent, throwing an orange veil on the nearest facade. Four shadows rose up from their promontory, knowing that they had been discovered, and they measured these three arrogant humans who had been tracking them through the city. The crimson red pupils shimmering in the darkness petrify the repurgator and his companions. The two sides thus remained a few long seconds to observe each other. The deaf melody of their hearts felt by the chase and the sudden anguish was deliciously pulsating in the ears of the four creatures. Without consulting each other, they swung and leapt across the other side of their building, disappearing into the night. None of the three humans dared to follow in their footsteps.

previousnext

[melzan-of-bregan-daerthe]

Adventures in Faerun

For weeks nightmares of shadow dragons and Thayans woke Melzan from his meditation. Finally, a clear image of travelers in front of a fire came. Eilistraee walked to him and smiled. Her naked form almost making Melzan look away. She came up to him and gave him a kiss on the cheek before looking in the direction of the figures at the fire. 

“One of them is open to me. You need to show them who I am. Bring him to have faith in me,” she purred and then the flames died out and the people were gone. 

A large dragon roared to the side and Melzan turned his head quickly and saw the dragon and a crystal clear image of a man. 

“You must kill that evil man. He’s done things worse than even worshipers of my mother. If you find them,” she motioned back to the campfire which existed again. “You will be in the right position to kill our enemy. Help them, rid this world of these evil people… Go now.”

Melzan gasped and came out of his meditation. Immediately, he got up and began to pack his bags to go on his journey. 

“Ellana, we have to go,” he said softly and she moved to lay inside his hood, curled up in his long soft hair. 

Completely covered he headed out. He only paused to eat, meditate, and also other necessary actions. Someone managed to transport him closer to his destination and soon he only had a few more days before he would meet these new people. No doubt they weren’t Drow. Realizing he shouldn’t just expose himself due to the mistrust it would bring, he stayed away from them for most of the night. 

Without trying to be stealthy, he approached. 

Sure enough, they spotted him. All of them tensed up and began to chat. Some appeared to ready their weapons. One of the shadowed figures disappeared, or maybe they weren’t even there to begin with? He tilted his head and focused more on them. Due to the campfire their faces and bodies were completely in shadow. Finally, they settled realizing he wasn’t whoever they were expecting. Melzan raised his hands to show he was not arming himself and meant to come in peace.

“Well met,” Melzan said softly. 

“Who are you? What are you doing here?” one of the men started. 

To Melzan they all looked skinny. He’d seen wizards with more muscle on them and it worried him. Could they really be the people his Goddess wanted him to help? 

“Will you remove your hood?” another to the side asked. 

“I’m here to fight. With you. To assist you in your fight against the Thayan wizard or sorcerer and a dragon. The message for me to come wasn’t really clear,” then he turned to the man who asked him to remove his hood. “You don’t want me to do that. It would be worse than me leaving it on.”

For a while, they appeared to think about it. 

“May I approach?” Melzan asked, his hands still in the air. “Sit with you by the fire?”

“It’s rude not to remove your hood,” the man to the side of the fire asked. 

“No.” Melzan stated. 

“Yes, come and join us. Jerky?” a man asked holding out a piece. 

Melzan held a hand up to pass on eating it. If he removed his lower face mask they’d all know who he was. 

“I”m iliad, this is milo, Samuel, and Igor,” iliad said motioning to each person as he introduced them. “We’re currently waiting.”

“W-we’re su-supposed to just be us. He w-wont like it if there are more here,” the stutter and fear in his voice almost made Melzan smile. 

He’d be so easy to fight and- No. Melzan can’t do something like that. He wasn’t Graz'zt’s anymore. 

“Yeah, you’re right. You three might need to make yourselves scarce.”

Melzan had no reason to argue so he nodded and wandered back to a tree where he came from. While waiting for the dragon Melzan observed them. The group appeared scared in general. Especially when the Thay finally showed up. 

“Hello, oh where’s your little friend, Nessa” The Thay asked approaching, but stopping about thirty feet away. 

“She got arrested. They thought she murdered someone,” was that one Milo Melzan wondered? Or was that Iliad?

“Good, it worked,” the man laughed. “Why don’t your new friends come out? You over there.” He looked directly at Melzan which made him shudder a little. Since he’d been spotted there remained no reason for him to hide. “Now I hope we can resolve this civilized. You don’t approach within five feet or I will consider it a threat. You should leave now, get out of here.”

“What do you mean it worked?” 

“Me, I took her form and killed someone. I’m glad. I had a little bit of worry that it wouldn’t work, but she’ll be there when we destroy that tribe now.” The man said. 

Melzan had no idea who this Nessa was. 

“We-we’ll le’leave w-when you all get the f-fuck out,” the stuttering man tried to be tough. 

“You all are weak. You don’t want to stay here and-” he lookd down at a little pebble that got kicked towards him. “Are you really going to do this? THreaten me? I can summon the dragon here if you want to die so bad.”

“We don’t want to do that. We’re not going to go unless you go.”

“No one has to die here,” the Thayan said. 

“Yes they do,” Melzan said and pulled out his sword. “You do.” 

“Come on, we can do this peacefully. You leave. We leave.”

Melzan turned to them. “You cowards.”

At around that point, the shambling gnome began slapping the image of the Thayan. 

“I told you any actions like that would be considered threats,” the image disappeared. 

So his new allies could see Melzan cast Dancing Light. Suddenly nearly fifteen shadows began charging at the group. Melzan managed to handle his own, and no one appeared to get too badly injured. A little red haired halfling also appeared. That must have been Nessa Melzan realized. 

A roar in the background was startling. Once the shades were gone, another roar sounded. Closer this time. 

Frost began to cover all of Melzan’s form. Everyone else prepared for the dragon. A glowing red gem fell from the sky and the moment it hit the ground a fire elemental roared loose. The blaze came up in front of Milo. The man reacted bravely and hit the elemental at the cost of his own skin. Everyone began to blast it, while also keeping their distance. 

A scream rang out “I GAVE YOU A CHANCE TO LEAVE! Now you will DIE”

The dragon pulled back before dark flames burned across the area, killing the the elemental and the human dropped down unconscious, burned even more than usual. 

Melzan and Nessa appeared to hurry towards the felled man. Magical chains refrained them, they couldn’t budge an inch. 

This caused  Melzan to turn and glare at the wizard. The man who offered the food stayed in front of the dragon barely breathing. It was a miracle he even stayed on his feet. 

Ellana hurried to Melzan and tapped him to dispel the hold magic and flew to Milo. She hugged his neck as best she could and Melzan felt his power drain a little. Yet the man opened his eyes. That’s what he’d intended. Turning back to the wizard he fired his eldritch blast. 

The wizard of the group began to fling spells at the dragon as quickly as they could. 

The Halfling continued to struggle. Ellana, the little pixie, held tightly to Milo as the man took cover behind a large rock. Iliad attempted to drink something, but the dragon took the opportunity to hit him. 

These people were useless and Melzan could hardly believe what he had to do. Rushing up he moved and spent his last large power to place his hands on Iliad and heal the man’s damage. Sure enough, he left Melzan to the dragon’s mercy. He cursed in undercommon. 

Melzan hurried to do his best to get out of the way. Those claws hurt even if they barely hit them. Each attack froze the dragon’s claws and when it placed it’s foot back down the finger would shatter and send a huge shock of cold up the dragon’s body. The dragon had a limp  now at least. When the blond, Milo? came back out from around the rock he took to one side of the dragon. Iliad even went to stand back in front of the dragon. 

Quickly, Melzan moved to the side of the dragon, out of the way of any sort of breath spell. 

The halfling finally broke free and a giant beam of light appeared pushing down the dragon and only grazing the Thayan’s shoulder. It continued to push it down, weakening it. 

Iliad got caught in a darkness the dragon exhaled and when it began to fade Melzan noticed him back on the ground dying. Ellana rushed to him and touched his cheek to heal the man. Sure enough his eyes opened and when the dragon got distracted Iliad rushed as far away as possible. 

Melzan continued to attack the dragon, hitting through the scales and breaking through. Milo began to hit the dragon some more as well. If they could kill the pet the wizard wouldn’t be difficult to kill at all. The dragon fell over dead. Once again the wizard attacked, chilling Melzan’s should to the core. He almost lost his footing as the skeletal hand dug its bony fingers into his shoulder. 

The thayan screamed. “LAY DOWN YOUR ARMS AND WALK SOUTH FOR A DAY”

THe order didn’t hit Melzan or Ellana, but the others dropped their weapons and began to walk to the south. He couldn’t help them, but Ellana could. 

He rushed to follow the Thayan as he tried to fly away. The mage hit him with a few more magic missiles making the man lose a bit of flying height. It allowed Melzan to hit him even harder, throwing spell after spell. 

Ellana managed to restrain Nessa and Milo before hurrying to go and try and prick Iliad to end the spell using pain. The man used his own spells to attempt to break MIlo out of the spell, but not Nessa. The halfling broke through the entangling roots and the human had to rush after her. The halfling began to dodge or stumble and the human just couldn’t hit her to snap her out of the command. 

The Thayan fell from the sky finally, landing and snapping his neck as his fly spell ended. Melzan panted a bit and pressed a hand against the rotting flesh he would have to heal from the Thayan’s spells but for now he needed to make sure the man was dead and if he had anything on him. 

A staff, didn’t need. A set of magical armor, but they might not be as good as his own. They felt very similar to his detect magic. A cloak he put on automatically. Then he found the other items, which he should share. They did act as physical shields for him a few times. They deserved something. Not the Grimoire though. Melzan took that and with his body aching, sat down and began to look through it. Ellana cooed a bit and flew back once she’d successfully brought Iliad out of the suggestion spell. She moved up under his hood and cuddled up in his soft hair again. 

It made him smile. 

[kemnam]

I Am Become

Summary: It’s been three years. Zeref is gone, all of his books burned. Natsu is alive, and free to marry the girl of his dreams. But fate is cruel, and Natsu cannot escape what he really is, no matter how hard he tries. If he wants to save everybody from himself, he’ll have to go back to the beginning. “Now I am become death, destroyer of worlds.”

Pairings: Typical

chapt. 8 chapt. 10

Chapter 9: Fool Me Once

This was not going to be easy. Nobody said that it would be, but that was the main thought on everybody’s mind. They had a plan – and it was a good one – that was meticulously thought through and considered multiple circumstances. It was a nice change; to actually have a strategy instead of just barging in and causing a ruckus like they would if Natsu was with them. But even with all corners and exits covered, the only thing Gray could think about was what could go wrong.

“Is he in position?”

Alzac peered through the scope of his rifle that he had borrowed from Bisca. Through the dim light of the trees, he could barely make out Elfman’s hunched form.

“Yes.”

“And Lucy and Wendy?”

Shifting the gun slightly, Alzac adjusted the sights for greater distance. It was easy to pick out Lucy’s blonde hair through the trees, even when she and the young dragon slayer crouched within the roots of a gnarled tree.

“Yes, ma'am.”

“Everything is ready to go.” Gray whispered to Erza. Juvia was nowhere in sight, but they all knew she was out there, waiting for the silence to break.

Finding the Ruby Manticore guild had actually been surprisingly easy. They had set off the day after arriving in Newwart Town with the heart of Juniper Hills as their destination and no real idea for how to find the place. But it turned out that that problem very quickly solved itself, and they had practically stumbled upon it by accident. However, the next big issue arose when they all got a good look at the building and realized that it didn’t need to be hidden. The hall had been built like a fortress. At first, they all thought that they had discovered an old prison. The painted symbol of the dark guild – a hectagonal stone encompassed by a scorpion tail – quickly dissuaded that idea. High walls, reinforced doors, and barricaded windows – it made them all wonder whether this building was meant to keep dangerous creatures out, or violent wizards and mercenaries in. However, there was one vulnerability that the architect had not taken into account, that being its significant lack of protection from above. Normally, that might not have been a problem. But with the towering trees and dark canopy, it had been all too simple to fly to a high vantage point and scope out the layout of what lay behind the walls and devise a plan.

The Ruby Manticore guild was comprised of two large sections connected to each other by a narrow passageway. The one closest to the gates was larger than anything else – probably where the main hall was. That would be where they struck first, where the roofing was made up of simple brick and mortar in a rustic facade. It was difficult to say what the other part of the odd building was for, but if they had to guess, it might have just been for storage. That would make sense, at least. It would be checked out anyway; no room for slip ups this time. As far as enemy numbers went, there was no one outside, and the building was only large enough to house about a couple hundred people. They had faced worse odds before.

Even so, this was not going to be easy.

“Stay on your guard, and watch each other’s backs.” Erza looked to Gray and Gajeel, as well as to the exceeds that accompanied each of them. Alzac looked up at her from where he laid on his belly across the large branch, gun prepped and ammo set out beside him. “I don’t want any accidents.”

“Speak for yourself,” Gajeel smirked.

Gray tried to find some humor as well, but the tensions in the air already had his heart racing with anticipation. Happy’s paws on his shoulders trembled ever so slighty, and Gray could see Carla taking slow deep breaths from behind Erza. No matter how many fights and battles that they got into, Gray thought, the intensity of an upcoming brawl never really went away. Erza smiled at the dragon slayer, then turned her gaze back down to the hall below them. A slight breeze played at her red and silver hair.

Without further hesitation, Erza, Gray, and Gajeel tipped forward, falling from the tree-tops. Happy, Carla, and Panther Lily directed their fall, angling them at just the right degree to hit perpendicular to the rocky roof. As they plummeted to earth with increased speed, Gajeel drew back his arm. His flesh turned to a thick iron sword. Gray balled one fist and placed it in the palm of the other. As one, the exceeds tucked in their wings and let gravity take them all the last few yards to the target.

“Iron Dragon Claw!”

“Ice Make Cannon!”

Dust and rubble flew through the air as they quickly drilled through the thinner layers of the ceiling. Shouts and screams sounded around them, and the silhouettes of other people darting out from under the falling debris dashed around them. Dropping down into the new, gaping hole in the ceiling, the three mages landed in a crouch to cushion the shock. The interior of the Ruby Manticore guild was darker than outside, only lit by a few spare lacrimas. Encompassed in a curtain of light that cascaded from above, the trio stood tall and squared off against the foes within the darkness. Whispers echoed back at them, some of them frightened, others angry at the sight of the Fairy Tail emblem on Gray’s bare chest and Gajeel’s shoulder.

In a small flash of light, a long sword manifested itself in Erza’s hand. Raising the sword aloft, Erza called out loud and clear for all to hear.

“You know who we are and why we are here. If any of you wish to surrender, do it now!”

The stunned silence that followed seemed to last for a while. The dust began to settle, and faces became clearer as their eyes adjusted. The large hall was full of dark wizards and mercenaries, all of them glaring at the intruders as part of a silent standoff. Gray could tell from the looks on their faces that none of them were going to back down. Good, Gray thought. He didn’t think he could find any mercy in his heart for these bastards. Most of them already had their hands on their weapons. Everyone was waiting for the ball to drop, for someone to throw the first punch or cast the first spell. Gray was tired of waiting.

Lifting his arms high above his head, Gray dropped down and slammed his fists to the ground. A thick sheet of ice snaked over the floor, covering the entirety of the hall, the few columns that held up the ceiling as well as the walls. Cries arose from the crowd of Manticore members as they lost their footing and clung to each other for support. Taking advantage of the confusion, Gajeel took a step forward, iron spikes poking out of his shoes to stabilize on the ice, and shot a metal beam from his arms into the fray of mercenaries and wizards. Erza quickly stepped to the side as a chained blade shot at her chest. The battle had officially begun.

Gray charged forward, splitting off from Erza and Gajeel and coming face to face with a hooded mercenary swinging a pair of double swords. Ducking below the mans wild swipes, Gray thrust his fist forward and up under the merc’s ribs, effectively felling him with one blow. A split second later and the wizard to his left was also writhing on the ground nursing a broken knee. Spinning and ducking, then following through with his own attacks, Gray brawled his way through Manticore members as he slowly made his way to the eastern wall of the large hall. It was almost too easy, how he was able to overcome his enemies with hardly more than one or two well aimed strikes. But Ruby Manticore certainly had numbers on their side for this fight. As the dark mages and mercs pressed forward toward the trio of Fairy Tail wizards, it was beginning to get a little crowded for Gray to maneuver. One brave mage even managed to grab his wrist and tried to restrain him. That was when Happy zoomed out of the air and sunk his large fangs into the man’s arm. A back-handed haymaker from Gray quickly knocked him out.

Just as Gray was beginning to break a sweat, loud crashes echoed through the hall from outside. Almost everyone paused in the battle, their confusion making them hesitate. In a sudden burst of light and flying rock, the east and west walls of the guild crumbled away to reveal Elfman on one side and Lucy with Wendy on the other. With the majority of the enemies concentrated to the front of the hall, it left their back sides wide open for attack. Most of the Manticore mercs and mages didn’t have time to react as the other Fairy Tail wizards joined the fray. Unwittingly, the Manticore members split themselves from each other to opposite sides of the hall in reaction the the appearance of these new adversaries, leaving the middle wide open for Erza to blast through and reach the other side where the entrance to the passageway to the other part of the building was. There, she was planned to meet up with Juvia and assist her with any enemies. Just before she darted into the hallway, Erza shouted over her shoulder.

“I’ll leave the rest to you!” Erza nodded at Carla, who flew away to rejoin Wendy. Then her eyes found Gray over the crowd, and she tipped her chin at him.

Gray nodded at her, moving to fill in the space that she had left behind. Lucy and Wendy also spread out. Lucy was wearing her Taurus dress, her amplified strength more than a match for most of these guys. Wendy sent foe after foe hurtling through the air, showcasing just exactly how powerful her offensive spells had become over the years. Gray could hear Elfman roaring from where he fought off a hoard of mercenaries. It seemed that for every one they took down, two more would take their place. But even so, Gray began to feel suspicious. These Manticore members fought like amateurs; leaving themselves open, being predictable, or just plain running away. Luckily, Alzac was roosted in the perfect spot to gun down any strays. There might have been many of them, but Gray couldn’t imagine a guild like Sabertooth having problems with a dark guild like this. Either this wasn’t the real Ruby Manticore they had heard about, or Sting was seriously losing his touch.

Something wasn’t right.

The battle ended quickly after Erza left. One thing Gray had to hand these guys, they fought to the last man. In due time, the only ones left standing were those that bore the Fairy Tail emblem. Slightly out of breath, but relatively unharmed, Gray looked out across the hall and all the moaning and unconscious bodies scattered about. This victory had been won a little too easily. Gray’s gut twisted, a worried itch scratching at his brain.

“You doing okay, Gray?” Wendy asked as she trotted up to him, Carla close behind.

“Yeah, I’ve barely broken a sweat.” Gray frowned, unsure if that was a good thing or a bad thing. “You guys good?”

Happy and Lucy looked over from where they stood a few yards away, nodding the affirmative. Across the hall, Elfman and Gajeel stomped around. The dragon slayer looked less than pleased as they all gathered together in the center of the hall.

“This was seriously less awesome than I thought it would be,” Gajeel sneered, kicking a bit of rubble to hit a mercenary in the face. “What the hell kind of weakling guild like this could possibly go up against the Twin Dragons and almost win?”

“I have to admit that I’m a little disappointed as well.” Lily looked around. “But Erza’s not back yet. Perhaps she may need assistance?”

Elfman grunted. “If I know Erza, then she should be able to take out these wimps with her pinkie finger.”

“And she’s got Juvia with her as back up,” Wendy chimed in.

“Between the two of them, I almost feel sorry for these guys.” Lucy peered down at an unconscious enemy a few feet away. It was a young boy, probably no older than 18. It always broke her heart a little to see someone wasting their lives away in a place like this.

That was when they heard the scream. A woman’s scream that echoed back onto itself through the hall and made everyone’s blood run cold.

Gray’s heart leapt into his throat as his legs immediately propelled him forward. Barely registering the footsteps of the others following him, Gray sprinted across the hall and plunged into the darkness of the passage, not caring that he could barely see three feet in front of him. If he didn’t know any better, he could have sworn that that cry sounded just like Juvia and if anything had happened to her or Erza, there was going to be hell to pay.

A small ball of light drifted next to Gray’s shoulder as he ran. Instantly recognizing the little star as Lucy’s, Gray continued to rush forward. It didn’t provide much light, but it would suffice. Lucy called it her “Star Bright” spell, developed a couple of years ago in case she needed a source of light and Natsu wasn’t around. A scattering of small stars would manifest in the air around her, and if one knew what to look for, they could find a familiar constellation. The spell could only be done with Leo’s key, and would follow only Lucy for a certain amount of time.

By the light of the stars, a pair of double doors faded into Gray’s vision, closed and locked. It must have been a trap, Gray realized, and Erza had walked right into it on purpose… knowing that Juvia was counting on her. Gray balled his fist at the thought, a hardened ball of ice encompassing his hand. With a roar ripping from his mouth, Gray bludgeoned the door with all of his might. Metal frames cracking and hinges ripping, the doors flew inward. Gray whirled up again, ready to face whatever lay beyond with vengeance on his mind.

But he hadn’t been expecting the curtain of black mist the tumbled through the open doors, washing over Gray and the rest of the Fairy Tail mages and flooding into the hallway. Before Gray could stop himself, he was coughing and gagging on the toxic air. His heart spiked with fear as small pricks of pain in his chest quickly escalated to a throbbing pressure. His strength was sapped from his limbs in a matter of seconds. Falling to his knees, Gray struggled to breathe, but his throat was closing tighter and tighter with every breath he took. Wheezing in desperation, Gray turned his head to the side. Gajeel was closest to him in a similar condition. If Gajeel’s iron lungs couldn’t protect him, then this was some very serious black magic they were dealing with. Lucy was just past him, also struggling on her hands and knees. But her gaze was locked up ahead of them, terror and confusion painting her face. Gray forced himself to look up, afraid of what he might see.

There were only two other people in the square, empty room. One was a hulking man who wore nothing but a leather holster that carried an enormous halberd across his back, and leather pantaloons with a chainmail skirt that matched his buckled boots. His long hair was black as night, as were his eyes. The emblem of the Ruby Manticore guild was printed largely across his sculpted abdominals. He had fresh blood on his knuckles, and a small spattering across his face. Erza and Juvia lay on the ground just past him. They looked like they had been beaten to hell and back, large purple bruises and fresh gashes marring their bodies. Juvia didn’t look like she was breathing, and Erza was bleeding from her ear and mouth as she huffed watery breaths. If breathing hadn’t already been so hard, Gray probably would have stopped altogether. He wanted to look away, but he couldn’t.

“You’ll have to forgive him. He was getting bored waiting for you guys.”

A girl stood in the center of the chamber. She was young, perhaps only slightly older than Wendy. Her pale hair and clothes were unkempt, and her dark blue eyes were ringed with red veins and dark circles, like she had been awake for days. Her Manticore emblem was placed just above her right eyebrow. In her hands was an old, leather-bound book that was opened to the center page. The same black mist that was assailing them flowed out of the pages of the book, crept across the floor and out into the hallway where they had come. Gray felt a pang of déjà vu at the sight of the tome. The girl smiled crookedly, revealing yellow teeth. When she spoke, there was a slight hiss to her voice.

“We knew you were coming.” Snapping the book shut, the young woman tucked it under arm and stepped up to the weakened mages, wading through the darkness with no affect to her health. “But we seem to be missing a certain someone.”

Gray didn’t know how much longer he could hold out, the lack of oxygen beginning to take its toll. There was already a black ring around his vision as he watched the strange girl approach Lucy. Quickly, Lucy reached out to Happy - the small cat curled in on himself with pain - and pulled him closer to her. But she looked like she was on the verge of passing out as well. The girl looked down her nose at the Fairy Tail mages. The redness in her eyes seemed to make her blue eyes brighter, sending a shiver down Lucy’s spine as she tried her best to defiantly glare right back. The man stepped away from Erza and Juvia to join his companion in her scrutinizing.

“I guess we’ll just have to wait for him, then,” she said in a bored tone. If Gray hadn’t been on the verge of passing out he would have punched her in the face. Hard.

Lips twisting into a cruel smile, the girl tilted her head as she laughed in a high-pitched giggle. “I’m sure the demon dragon will be joining us soon.” Gray slumped to the floor, eyes rolling back his head. The one hand he had stretched out towards Juvia went limp. The last thing he heard before he was overcome with darkness was the girl’s manic laughter and her hissed words.

“I can’t wait.”

“How does that feel, honey?”

Natsu lifted his arms and bent his elbows, taking note of how the fabric stretched and how high the cuffs were pulled up. “I think the sleeves could be a little longer, and it’s kind of tight around my biceps.”

“It’s supposed to be a little snug on your arms, darling.” Master Bob smiled. “When you have rotund muscles such as yours, you don’t hide them away in loose sleeves.”

Natsu smiled at that, turning to look in the mirror. Other than the tape, pins, and undone seams, his suit was coming along nicely. The torso hugged him in just the right places. The cut of fabric under his arms followed the curve of his ribs and dropped along his abdominals, allowing him to twist around and bend over without the jacket riding up. Master Bob might have been a strange man, but he sure did know how to tailor a suit. The pants had been easy, even if Natsu was suspicious whether Master Bob really need to get that close to certain parts of him for measurements. The jacket was slightly more complicated, but the Blue Pegasus Master was good at what he did, and easily made adjustments when needed and provided suggestions when necessary.

“I’m just worried that I might rip them.”

“Darling, you’re getting married, not arm wrestling,” Master Bob chided. “Trust me, when I’m done with you, Lucy will be thanking me.”

“You should listen to Master Bob, young man,” Ichiya chimed in, his usual glamor sparking in passion. “He’s designed all the suits that the men of Blue Pegasus wear. He knows what he’s talking about!”

Natsu shrugged, taking the man by his word. When Natsu had arrived at the Blue Pegasus guild earlier that morning, he hadn’t been expecting Master Bob to be waiting for him at the front doors. Wasting no time, the flamboyant man whisked Natsu away to a room that was separate from the main club of the guild - where the walls were a light shade of pink and mirrors were mounted in front of round pedestals with bright lights shining down on them. At first it was a little overwhelming for Natsu, but eventually his eyes adjusted. He still wasn’t sure why Ichiya was there, though. The man hadn’t done anything except tell Natsu how good he looked.

“So tell me, Natsu.” Bob spoke up as he motioned for Natsu to turn around and stand straight. “Why didn’t you go with your fiancé to take care of those scoundrels that attacked Sabertooth?”

Natsu bit his lip, lifting his arms so Bob could measure the width of his chest.

“It’s kind of personal. Sorry.”

“It’s a terrible thing, what happened to our friends.” Ichiya lightly pressed a hand to his forehead. “I can barely stand the thought.”

Natsu grimaced, the very thought of Lucy and his friends dealing with scum like that at this very moment making him sick with worry. It wasn’t fair, Natsu thought for the hundredth time.

“It’s just a shame they didn’t randomly attack us,” Natsu thought out loud. “We would have shown them a thing or two.”

Master Bob and Ichiya gave each other knowing looks before the older man cocked an eyebrow at Natsu. “Didn’t you hear? Sting believes that it wasn’t just a random attack. That dark guild targeted them. In fact, Sting had reason to believe they were targeting one of their members.”

Natsu felt the blood drain from his face. “What the hell are you talking about?”

Master Bob looped his measuring tape around his neck, crossing his arms in all seriousness.

“I talked with Sting over lacrima the day after it happened. He thinks that they were looking for someone. But he had no idea who and for what reason. But he heard one of them shout something that was very strange. It had something to do with a ‘demon dragon’.”

“Someone needs to tell those rufians that Acnologia has been gone for three years, and that he’s never coming back. Don’t you agree, Natsu?” Ichiya looked to the dragon slayer expectantly.

Natsu only stared at the two men, mouth hanging open as realization hit him like a train. His hands balled into fists, nails digging into his palms. The etherious behind his heart thrummed. Lucy was in danger, it seemed to tease. And he was hundreds of miles away.

“Master Bob, Ichiya.” Natsu spoke quickly as he began stripping off the unfinished suit. “I have a favor to ask you.”

[mystery-moose]

FIC: Angus McDonald and the Flight of the Flying V (19/24)

[AO3 link]

They’ve come a long way, but even ten years after the world was saved, they’re still not quite where they should be. A whim, a missing painting, and a handful of near-death experiences help a flip wizard and his apprentice bridge the gap.

Taako does his best. Angus takes some risks. Introductions are made, bonds are tested, and lessons are learned — better late than never.

The beam shot forward, flaking particles of light behind it. Gavin raised his hand, and the spell splintered and spiderwebbed; the air warped briefly as his Wall of Force shattered.

Taako was already moving, sprinting the perimeter of the room. He swung his staff madly, firing magic missiles by the dozen. They spun and flew drunkenly in Gavin’s direction.

Keep moving, keep him off balance.

Gavin swung his wand around and a shimmering field cast itself between him and the missiles. They bounced off harmlessly, trailing into wisps of light and smoke as Taako rounded a pillar and charged straight towards him. He opened his umbrella in time to catch a pair of Scorching Rays, then fired a spray of color from its tip and slid across the floor, trying to kick out one of Gavin’s knees. He caught nothing but air. As Taako peeked around the edge of the umbrella, he saw Gavin floating above. With a smirk, Gavin lowered his wand, and an arrow of acid green shot down towards him.

Nope.

Taako Blinked. In the shadowy glow of the ethereal plane, he had six seconds to plan his next move. So far, keeping him off balance was working about as well as he’d thought it would. What else did he have?

Disintegrate was my sixth-level, that’s the big one gone. What else? No more first level, burned all those. Took one third level to get here. Could stretch and cast something at seventh, maybe eighth if I didn’t mind it blowing up in my face.

Taako scrabbled to his feet and to the opposite side of the room. Two seconds left.

Is he using Fly or Levitate? Ah, fuck it, who cares.

As he popped back into the material plane, Taako flicked his hand back and forth and kicked off the floor. Gavin had moved further towards the center of the room, hovering in midair, spinning around trying to find him. He saw Taako flying towards him a second too late, and with a wicked grin, Taako cast Stoneskin.

Taako barely felt the collision, but Gavin made a very satisfying noise as he drove his shoulder into his stomach. They flew through the air, straight towards one of the columns. Taako didn’t slow down. They bounced off, hard — the impact sent a crack through one of Taako’s stony forearms, which hurt like all fuck — and wrestled with each other as they careened through the air.

Gavin was trying to fight his way free, and Taako was doing his best to keep hold, all the while driving his fist, his elbow, his knee, even his head into every soft spot he could. He was no fighter, but he knew from personal experience where it hurt to get punched.

After Taako landed a particularly meaty headbutt, Gavin snarled and pressed Burning Hands to Taako’s face. Even through the stone, it hurt; Taako shrieked and kicked Gavin away. Tears stung his eyes, and he barely reacted in time to block another Scorching Ray with his umbrella. He flew to the side, circling, spiraling inward to close the distance, while Gavin started in the opposite direction. He threw out a hand, and a haze of force surrounded it, extending to the length of a broadsword. He swung hard, and Taako, without thinking, brought up his umbrella to block it.

It did. Cleanly.

The look on Gavin’s face was almost worth all this trouble.

Taako grinned viciously and ran his hand over the Umbra Staff. It began to glow as Magic Weapon took hold, and he swung it hard at Gavin’s head.

The next thirty seconds were a blur, full of hard blocks and wide swings and poorly-timed parries as a midair melee raged between two wizards who had never swung anything sword-shaped in their lives. Taako refused to give ground, dodging above and below rather than side to side, keeping the pressure on. Gavin was forced to retreat, to his obvious frustration, and with every furious snarl, Taako laughed and taunted.

“What’s the matter, dipshit?” he said, as they locked weapons near the chandelier. “Thought you were supposed to be a badass!”

“Be quiet!” Gavin shouted as Taako kicked away.

“Is it performance anxiety? Because I hear they’ve got pills for that now!”

Gavin bellowed as he swung his blade of force, double-handed. Taako dived below, and the blade caught the chandelier’s chain, cleaving it cleanly in two. With no time to react, Taako could only watch, as if in slow motion, as the glowing chandelier descended fast towards his face.

Well, shit.

One of the arms clipped him in the jaw, and sent him tumbling ass over teakettle towards the ground. He felt his umbrella fly from his hand, felt his air control disappear, and as he landed hard on the stone floor, his stone skin shatter and dispel. If he hadn’t had it on to begin with, that might have been all she wrote; as it was, his rock-hard head had managed to preserve his consciousness. He quickly rolled onto all fours, scrabbling for his staff as he tried to shake the stars from his eyes.

“Looking for this?”

Taako spun. Gavin was standing by the door, hair pulled free from its ponytail and blood dripping from one nostril. He was holding his wand and standing with one foot on Taako’s Umbra Staff.

“Where did you get this?” he asked, condescending and half-curious. “This is far too powerful a thing for you to have acquired in any legitimate fashion, let alone made yourself.”

“Smug prick,” Taako grumbled, pushing himself onto unsteady feet.

“Sorry? Didn’t catch that.”

“I said give it to me and I’ll tell you.” He wiped a bit of blood from his mouth and spat red onto the floor. “Right after I shove it up your ass and open it.”

Gavin was unamused. “You really are very rude,” he said flatly. “Have I not earned the slightest bit of professional respect? Can we not simply duel as equals, the way the old magi did?”

Taako blew a raspberry and flipped him off with both hands. Gavin’s disapproving frown became a full-blown scowl.

“Fine,” he growled. “I was growing bored anyway.”

He kicked the umbrella behind him, into the hallway. Taako almost tried to Mage Hand it, but it wouldn’t have done any good. He was stuck. His only hope was the thing in his pocket, and he had to wait for the perfect moment to use it, or it would only get him killed.

“You are a vain, ignorant, cruel little wretch,” Gavin said, raising his wand, “and you have driven me to such lengths. I can only hope you receive an appropriate torment in the afterlife.”

“Holy fuck, my dude,” Taako said with a roll of his eyes. “Just kill me already.”

A corner of Gavin’s mouth twitched. “With pleasure.”

The wand glowed yellow. Taako waited — one shot, one chance, don’t screw it up — and as he saw the Fireball gather at the tip, his hand darted to his pocket.

“Goodbye,” Gavin shouted over the growing roar of the flames, “and good riddance!”

The ball fired forward. Taako saw it rushing towards him, felt the heat wash over his face from a dozen feet away. He raised his trump card, and fired.

Space shifted and warped, Taako’s stomach turned a hundred eighty degrees, and in an instant, he was elsewhere. Taako saw the fireball rushing away from him, towards Gavin, now standing by the fallen chandelier. His eyes were so wide, Taako could see the whites from where he stood, and his mouth dropped open in absolute disbelief just before the fireball hit.

Taako brought his arm up to shield his eyes from the flare of the explosion. It shook dust from the ceiling and sent white-hot embers flying in every direction. When he brought his arm down, the only thing he could see at the center of the roaring blaze were the twisted remains of the fallen chandelier.

With a gleeful cackle, Taako holstered the Wand of Switcheroo, then reached behind him and Mage Handed his umbrella back into his hand. He shouldered it like a crossbrow, sighted down its length, and said:

“Vaya con dios.”

He fired a fireball of his own. The second explosion was as big as the first, and at its epicenter, the chandelier began to wilt like a dying flower. Taako turned on his heel and took a bow. When he rose, he was grinning ear to ear.

“I just killed someone with his own fucking spell!” he shouted at no one, arms outstretched. “What’s up?!”

Taako casually turned around in time to see a flickering silhouette stalk forward out of the fire. Before he could react, a spray of cold water hit him in the face. The force of it knocked him back and he landed flat on his ass, and it ended just as he got his umbrella open. Taako pushed himself to his feet, peeking around the shield of his Umbra Staff.

Gavin stood, lightly singed but alive, half his body still in the process of flickering back from the ethereal plane. He jabbed his wand forward and a bolt of raw lightning shot out with a blast of thunder following.

There was no blocking it; Taako felt the bolt shoot past the umbrella, up his arms and clean through his chest. The pain was sharp, searing, and short, and for a brief moment as he fell, Taako felt his heart stop. As he landed on his back, head cracking against wet stone, it jolted back into life again. Part of him wished it hadn’t.

“I am tired,” Gavin said slowly, “of your continued persistence in the face of your better.”

Taako hacked and choked as he tried to inhale. His muscles were still half-seized, and he rolled onto his side, trying to push himself up and only succeeding in curling up further. His chest felt like it was on fire.

“I am not a cruel man, by nature. But you pushed, and you pushed, and you wouldn’t stop. And now that I have you here, I find myself wondering if I shouldn’t make this last.”

Staff. Still have the staff. Use the staff.

For what?

“Perhaps that would make me no better than you. I imagine you enjoyed tearing the wings off flies, as a child.” Gavin kicked him in the back and Taako let out a shrill cry. “Your mother should have smothered you in the crib. It would have spared us both this misery.”

The backup plan.

Taako whimpered into a sob. Doesn’t matter if I can’t stand.

Then stand, you piece of shit.

“Yes,” Gavin said, stalking away. “A quick death. The moral high ground. That’s what this requires.”

Taako rolled onto all fours, umbrella handle clutched tight in his hand. His muscles began to relax as the residual shock wore off, and he managed to make it to one knee, half turned towards Gavin.

“Goodbye, good riddance, and so on,” Gavin said, turning back and holding up his wand. Its tip glowed gold — how much high-level shit can this asshole still cast? — and just before he fired, Taako raised his staff.

Gavin jabbed his wand forward, and the light fizzled out. He looked down, aghast, then jabbed it again. Nothing.

Taako pushed himself to his feet, hearing nothing but the blood rushing through his ears and the air heaving in his lungs. He rolled his neck on his shoulders and shook his head to clear the cobwebs. Gavin shouted a loud curse at Taako, and when nothing came out, he stuck his wand in his belt and reached behind his back. He pulled out a short sword — didn’t look like anything fancy, but might have had an enchantment or two on it — and stalked forward.

Even beat to shit and on his last legs, Taako couldn’t help but grin. He held out a hand, palm out, and Gavin actually stopped in his tracks, curious. Taako pointed at the sword, then made a small space between his thumb and forefinger and shook his head. Then stuck his umbrella in his belt, pulled the bag of holding from his hip, and with a magician’s flourish, stuck his arm deep inside it.

Once again, the look on Gavin’s face as he withdrew his weapon almost made all the pain worth it.

Taako had to pull the tiny bag off the end of the blade, careful to avoid the poisonous scorpion stinger at its tip. He cast it aside and held the sword out at his side, scraping the wall of the hallway with its massive length. Taako admired it for a moment — it had always been his favorite piece of statement jewelry — and when he turned back to Gavin, he saw him cursing again. Upset beyond the capacity for anger, he was almost petulant as he shouted three words into the silent void Taako had conjured, and which could easily be read on his lips: it’s not fair.

Tough shit, Taako retorted silently. Deal with it, dickweed.

With his forearm, Taako flicked the flywheel embedded in the sword’s hilt. The blade caught instantly.

Well, backup plan is a go. Now what?

He stepped forward, and grinned as Gavin retreated several steps back.

WWMBD, I guess.

Taako raised the Flaming Poisoning Raging Sword of Doom, and rushed in.

[alldenspa]

Voices From The Hedge - Chapter 23

The Battle.

Voices From The Hedge is an original novel by Alldenspa. If you’re unfamiliar with this project, I would be very happy if you checked out my information post about it HERE! It’s a story about magic and nerds, so if you’re into that, I’m sure you’ll enjoy it!

Chapter 23 - The Fray

The Social Insurance leader was quick to dodge the two bolts of lightning that Intergard sent his way not one second after Leit had released the demonwall, but Intergard wasn’t done. Jumping up the stairs, she chased after Djoutunhaim, still shooting out salvos of lightning, but Sibrodi jumped in. With a quick series of shields, he sent her attacks into the walls around, while behind him Djoutunhaim hastily opened the buttons of his jacket and reached into the inner pocket. “Not so fast, Kwifeldis,” shouted Sibrodi with a menacing grin, “Pick a fight with someone your size!” “Sibrodi, old friend,” replied Intergard, her wild hair covering her eyes so that only two rows of smiling teeth could be seen, “No-one is my size.” They pounced onto each other, the screeching and fizzling noises of their spells thundering around the large room. Above them near the desk, Igsher and Leit jumped down from the balcony, cutting off Djoutunhaim, who stumbled back with a muffled shriek. Igsher was already raising a hand to stupefy the insurance leader, but Sibrodi noticed what was going on behind him and jumped back, deflecting the attack just in time. “Chou, Glen — Take them!” he yelled with a look over at the other insurance wizards as Intergard charged towards him. With a Movement spell, he pushed her back down the stairs, and Chou quickly dashed in to cut her off while up on the platform, Djoutunhaim was regaining his composure, pulling out an artefact of his own and —to Leit’s surprise— sending a ball of fire his way, which Leit could only closely dodge with a large jump to the side that had him crashing into one of the sculptures. Below at the foot of the stairs, Hatzat drew her sword against Eos and Ienge, but the Professor joined them, taking her attack and exchanging a series of close-combat blows with the slender but athletic woman, whose thin weapon seemed to give her no advantage at all against the shockingly precise attacks of the Professor. At the wall to the left, the shapeshifter named Glen, now sharing the appearance of Igsher in an effort to confuse the agents, took a few steps back and pulled out a gun, aiming at the disoriented Leit above on the platform, but Ienge jumped forward, pulling out a spell from his sleeve pocket and sending Glen’s whole arm against the wall before dashing into close range and engaging the mysterious impostor hand-to-hand. For a second, Eos just stood there, half dazzled by the chaos around him, half gripped in amazement at the sight of his colleagues. Then he realized that without his help, the battle would hardly be won, and it was just in time as above him, Hatzat landed a strong fist blow to the Professor’s stomach, giving her enough time to pull out her own gun and shoot at Eos, who deflected the bullets not a split-second too early with a panic-induced shield before the Professor regained his senses and took over again, engaging Hatzat with another series of punches so strong that they sent bits and pieces of her equipment flying across the large room. Sweeping the scene with his eyes, Eos tried his best to find any opening for attack, or any sign of one of his friends needing help. To his left, Ienge was doing impressively well against the false Igsher, a sight that only confirmed to Eos how Ienge was indeed the young hand-to-hand prodigy of the agency, explaining easily why the Professor had always taken specific interest in him as a student of his classes. Above, Ubtra was visibly struggling against the much more lethally armed Hatzat, and although there was no doubt that the Professor was far more skilled, it would be some time and a lot of unknown variables before the duel would be decided. Eos wanted to help, but just at that moment the Professor yelled a sharp “Alagdi, to me!”, and Ienge exchanged a look with him, nodding quickly before leaving Glen to assist his master. That was his signal, thought Eos. He rushed over to Glen, continuing the close-combat duel in Ienge’s place before realizing that his hand-to-hand was decisively rusty and couldn’t hold a candle to Ienge’s, so he jumped up the stairs in an effort to get some distance between him and Glen, deflecting another bullet from the shapeshifter’s gun in mid-air with an impressive rear shield that earned him an approving look from Intergard before she pounced back onto Sibrodi, cancelling out yet another of his time spells with a mighty punch. With Ienge’s help, the Professor had succeeded in grappling Hatzat and winning her gun, jumping back from his opponent while aiming at Djoutunhaim above on the platform, who had sidestepped Igsher cleverly (much to the spellslinger’s disdain) to get to a ladder leading to the balcony and who was now starting to climb up, but he didn’t fail to notice the attack from below and deflected the Professor’s shots with a hasty shield of his own. Realizing that their main concern was Djoutunhaim escaping, Igsher pulled out a Movement spell and propelled himself up onto the balcony in a massive jump, cutting off the insurance leader’s way. Djoutunhaim hissed and shot a salvo of fireballs up towards Igsher, but Leit canceled them mid-air from below on the floor, forcing Djoutunhaim to jump back down and regroup with Sibrodi. Meanwhile, Glen had fired two more shots against the Professor that had gone into the wall just a hand’s length away from his face and was now aiming for Intergard, but Eos was quick to react and pulled out a Movement spell, casting it at Glen’s arm in the same way as Ienge had done before, which threw the shapeshifter off balance and sent his gun to the floor. At the same time, a sharp yell from above signaled that Intergard had succeeded in landing another decisive blow against Sibrodi, who stumbled back with his coat ripped apart after Intergard had tried to take away his artefacts to disarm him, all while defending against Chou’s fizzling Stupefy shots pressing in on her from behind. At the ladder next to the window, the fabric hanging down from the balcony had caught fire, and Leit turned to release the Flame spell with a quick flick of Intergard’s enchanted staff while Igsher dashed towards Djoutunhaim, but the insurance leader outmaneuvered him again, once more ending up closest to the ladder. With Sibrodi recovering from the blow, Intergard turned to Chou, quickly releasing his attempt at a Haste spell as she jumped onto him, but Sibrodi was quick to regain his balance behind her back. Eos saw it — This was his chance. With a shout of “Sibrodi, you swine!” he started running towards the old man, who turned around quickly, but it was already too late. With a Movement spell of such intensity that Eos would go on to be proud of it for a long time afterwards, Sibrodi’s body was hurled towards him, and before the tall wizard could react he had already been propelled full-force into Eos’ fist. He crashed down onto the floor with a groan and Eos, already sure of his victory, kneeled down to cast a Sleep spell, when at that moment a bullet from Glen’s gun grazed his body so closely that it pierced through his equipment pockets, sending his artefacts through the air from the torn-apart fabric of his belt. Eos jerked around, just in time to deflect another shot before Glen lowered the now empty gun, but Sibrodi had already come back to his senses. With a mighty kick, he sent Eos sliding across the polished floor towards Intergard, who was driving Chou back towards the wall with a freshly summoned Lightcore that sent flickering shadows across the ceiling. Struggling more and more to stand his ground against the massive woman, Chou stumbled back, and when he finally approached the wall behind him with nowhere left to go, he threw a desperate look to Djoutunhaim before propelling himself up to the balcony and running towards a door on the opposite side directly above the entrance to the office. Below, Intergard relaxed with a smile. “Not so loyal after all, huh,” she said, slightly out of breath, then turned around to assist the other agents, but Djoutunhaim’s followers were abandoning the fight everywhere: Down at the foot of the stairs, Hatzat jumped away from the Professor and escaped through the entrance into the staircase, while to the left Sibrodi had limped over to Glen and opened a portal on the floor to secure their escape. From the other side of the office, a purple spark dashed out of Igsher’s hand, sped across the room and went straight into Sibrodi’s chest while another closely missed the young shapeshifter next to him, but it couldn’t stop the two wizards from fleeing the scene. At that moment, a strange sound, resembling the working of some huge machinery or mechanism, resounded around the whole office. Eos, still kneeling on the floor, turned around to see that Djoutunhaim, overlooking the room with a terrified expression as all his operatives were fleeing, had his hand on a secret switch next to the ladder, and a moment later the Fallos artefacts behind each of the sculptures lining the room turned off and an elaborate mechanism activated Negra traps up on the balconies, suddenly removing all light from the office. Quickly, Eos got back to his feet in the darkness, while footsteps echoed from somewhere near the desk, and a moment later Igsher’s voice yelled a loud “Illumination!”, closely followed by a ball of bright light bursting out of an artefact in his hand and flying through the air up to the converging roof, where it stopped and was quickly joined by a second one, merging with it to form a blazing radiance that illuminated the entire room even through the shrouds of darkness covering the balconies. For a moment, Eos looked around the hall to see what had happened, but Intergard was already dashing up the stairs towards the ladder. “Leave the other ones, Djoutunhaim is our goal!” she shouted, and Eos noticed only now that the insurance leader had climbed up the ladder and was pulling open a small door on the balcony before disappearing onto the roof outside. Propelled by Movement spells from Igsher, the agents reached the balcony only a few seconds later.

[true-halloween-tales]

2017: #9-THE ADVENTURE CONTINUES 5: RETURN OF THE RAT, THE CAT, AND THE MONKEY

Pandora’s Box of True Halloween Tales has included the ongoing adventures of some Dungeons & Dragons characters in my campaign that I serve as Dungeon Master for.  We have twice before heard the continuing adventures of the rat, the cat, and the monkey (see 2012: #10-DUNGEONS and 2013: #8-THE ADVENTURE CONTINUES).  Their adventuring party consists of three main characters, all of non-standard Dungeons & Dragons races.  Tir’ko is a fighter/wild magic-user who is a Nezumi rat-man; he owns a home the party lives in.  Razzmatazz is a bard who is a Tabaxi cat-man; he pursues a college degree when not adventuring.  The third party member is Ravi, also a fighter/magic-user and a Vanara monkey-man; he has a sense of wonder and humor.  Each separately attempted to start an adventurous trek, but they encountered the same low flying, unmanned, hot-air, runaway balloon they tried to stop.  All three ended up being whisked away in the balloon, which is how they met.  They landed in the unfamiliar country of Dorse where they began their adventures together.  Soon they were all captured and enslaved by a deranged mad scientist, alchemist, fleshwarper named Lesmond, but they eventually escaped (see 2018: #5-MAD SCIENTISTS).  They settled in the city of Drexciya which is an extremely diverse city including dark elves, Yuan-ti snake-men, ogres, and even orcs.  All are welcome in Drexciya!  They found fighter and magic-user trainers so they could rise in experience levels for their chosen professions, and they met other adventurers.  

On May 1, 2133, on the planet of Terra in the country of Dorse, Tir’ko, Razzmatazz, and Ravi commenced their third adventuring season.  Their quick one-day excursion was to travel to the western Dorse Badlands peninsula, twenty miles south of the abandoned, ruined town of Xanxia.  Ravi had recently inherited a vacant property, the Wizard of Wines Winery.  They surveyed the ruins of Xanxia and decided they needed to fully explore it soon.  Ravi started to clean up the winery to be used as a launching point to explore Xanxia later in the summer.  Their second, self-selected, one-day mission was to follow directions in a treasure map they had previously found.  They followed the map’s directions west of Drexciya out into the desert.  They found a rocky, hilly area, and a small hidden cave was found.  The cave was a secret hideout for Vile Bile, a notorious wild mage who had been dead for decades.  They did find some of his old treasure, wands, and a scroll containing magical spells.  Things started out well.

Our hairy three then traveled from Drexciya by boat west down the Ooty River through tropical jungle to the strange new city of X.  The city was actually shaped like an X, and it was even more diverse than Drexciya.  X mainly contained monster inhabitants such as lizard men, cyborg-like Warforged, and Yuan-ti snake-men, all happily living together.  The head of the town was their friend, King Doom, a lizard man king.  The increased diversity in the region originated decades ago from the wild mage, Vile Bile.  Vile Bile was consumed by his wild magic and transformed into a bizarre entity known as the Mokomokuren.  He started a cult in the Dorse Badlands, bringing together all species including monsters by feeding them mind-controlling giant mushrooms.  The Mokomokuren had long been defeated, but the effect he left on the land remains.  King Doom was an evil, lizard-man-king warlord before he unwillingly joined the Mokomokuren’s forces.  King Doom’s alignment and worldview vastly changed, and he eventually ended up founding the town of X and perpetuating the plurality of the Mokomokuren.

King Doom alerted the rat, the cat, and the monkey to a new prophecy of the destruction of the city of X, and it was traced to a nearby, ancient, stone windmill.  Exploring the windmill led them to underground tunnels that opened up into a very large metal construction.  They explored this huge underground, metal area, and it was defended by scores of Derro, evil dwarves.  They discovered multiple floors or levels, and then the whole area started moving.  They soon discovered that they were inside of an enormous magical vehicle that had been buried underground for hundreds of years.  The windmill was a piece of the engine, and the vehicle was literally the size of a fleet of tanks.  It was a fortress on wheels, an infernal machine, occupied and operated by the Derro.  The Derro discovered the buried huge machine and had been repairing and living in it for hundreds of years.  The vehicle even possessed a huge central magical cannon.  It was the Doomgrinder, from the official Dungeons & Dragons sold module, The Doomgrinder.  It could destroy a city easily just by driving through it!  And it drove on directly towards X as they battled the Derro through the multiple interior levels.  The prophecy was coming true.  The Doomgrinder was powered by dozens of trapped Genies and Dao, beings from the elemental planes of existence.  Tir’ko, Razzmatazz, and Ravi arrived in the engine room and freed the trapped Genies and Dao.  That permanently disabled the engine of destruction with just enough time to park it permanently in the city of X.  The Doomgrinder then became the largest building and civics center for the town of X.  

Tir’ko, Razzmatazz, and Ravi returned to the Wizard of Wines Winery so they could fully explore the coastal, ruined city of Xanxia.  They were surprised what they learned.  Xanxia had been destroyed by a tidal wave many years previously.  Shortly after the tidal wave hit the town, a blue dragon that lived in the area had swooped into the abandoned city.  Melecanthe the blue dragon made excavations under the city until it found the bank vaults, and it confiscated the bars of gold for its own treasure hoard.  Melecanthe settled in a tower at the edge of town and used an adjacent, partially ruined, castle as his home.  The blue dragon claimed Xanxia as his.  He met a lady dragon, she moved into his ruined castle, and all was happy in Xanxia for Melecanthe.  That lasted only until human adventurers came into the ruined city and slayed Melecanthe’s mate.  The blue dragon then became particularly bitter and vengeful.  This motivated him to use all of Xanxia as his hunting ground for adventurers as the decades passed.  He retained a human form to even hide that he was a dragon.

When the rat, cat, and monkey once again approached the ruined city, they saw that it had been transformed.  It now looked like the ruins of Xanxia had quite recently melted and was magically repaired in some way.  They learned the changes in the ruined city were due to a convocation of deathmasters.  Deathmasters are evil, necromantic spell casters who specialize in raising and creating new undead such as zombies, vampires, and worse.  The deathmasters had taken the central building in Xanxia that resembled a state capital.  The deathmasters were busy making new forms of undead, sharing secrets of their dark profession, and networking.  Xanxia was now full of dangerous undead stalking about.  Tirko, Razzmatazz, and Ravi cleared the streets of the unfriendly undead and explored the castle.  The castle had been rehabbed as a labyrinth for the blue dragon to kill adventures.  The three got close to getting into blue dragon’s tower via an underground tunnel from the castle.  Blue dragons have an interest in electricity, and their breath weapon is electrical and not fire. Melecanthe flooded the castle with an enormous charge of electrical current, frying everything inside.  The rat, the cat, and the monkey just managed to escape from the dangers of Xanxia and planned their return at the end of the summer when they would be in top form.

Tir’ko, the Nezumi, rat-man, fighter/wild magic-user, then led the party on two missions for his wild archmage trainer, Sega.  The missions involved actions against Sega’s former apprentice, Neo.  Neo was a strange, green, half-human and half-otyugh, tentacled humanoid who was Sega’s first apprentice and betrayed him.  Sega felt responsible for unleashing the evil threat of Neo, so he had to be dealt with.  Tir’ko, Razzmatazz, and Ravi first captured two of Neo’s apprentices for Sega who quickly recruited them to his cause.  Then they attacked Neo’s base of operations in the Blackmoor Swamp, a large white building.  But the building was a decoy trapped to explode – and the real white building was missing!  They soon found and followed giant, Godzilla-sized tracks leading through the swamp.  They learned that Neo had magically grown huge tentacle-feet for his building and it walked away like a giant Baba Yaga’s hut (see 2017: #2-WITCHES).  Tirko was absolutely apoplectic when they followed the tracks for many miles all the way to his farmhouse outside of Drexciya.  Neo’s walking building was invisible, and they made a sustained assault on it and destroyed it.  Neo retreated to his last boat hole, a secret base on Danger Island.  Sega is preparing for the final assault on Danger Island, an upcoming adventure for the rat, the cat, and the monkey.

Ravi, the Vanara monkey man, fighter/magic user then led the party on two missions.  His Vanara people only had three of their own that left their land and sailed north.  Two of these Vanara travelers were dangerous and evil, and one was kindly and good, like Cornelius from The Planet of the Apes original films.  The good Vanara traveler was dead and had willed the Wizard of Wines Winery to Ravi; he had been killed by one of the two evil Vanara travelers.  Ravi was able to track down one of them who had become a criminal in Dorse and had been in prison.  They located him in the town of Thisbe in the act of breaking into a bank.  They snuck into the bank following the route of the thieves, and Ravi found his quarry.  Ravi used a powerful spell to imprison the Vanara down into a limbo near the center of the planet.  The third Vanara traveler was tracked down to a mysterious locale known as the Dark Jungle at the southern tip of the southeastern Dorse Badlands.  Ravi, Razzmatazz, and Tirko discovered that for eons the Dark Jungle had been contaminated by a radioactive meteor that greatly influenced all life in the region.  The Dark Jungle was still full of prehistoric dinosaurs!  As they reached the source of the radiation, they found apes had evolved as in The Planet of the Apes.  They lived in Ape City which was ruled by the third Vanara traveler.  After sneaking through Ape City and running away from a King Kong, Ravi found the last evil Vanara traveler and imprisoned him.

Razzmatazz, the bard Tabaxi cat-man, led the party on a mission for the bards.  They were to accompany the bard and actor, Habadash, up the Dorse River to the city of Andelain.  Andelain was where the great Dorse playwright, Spearshaker was buried.  Spearshaker was a spear-wielding barbarian who became civilized, then a writer, then the founder of great Dorse literature.  He had written such plays as King Fear, The Ten Pests, King Henry Ate, The Taming of the Ghoul, and A Midnight’s Summer Scream.  They learned as they sailed up the river that Habadash was gravitated towards trouble and was a wanted criminal in the region.  He had punched a nasty nobleman in his fat nose many years ago, and the statute of limitations was not quite expired, so he needed accompaniment.  After causing disturbances in towns on the journey northward, he gained the attention of the police, and soon they were being pursued by a police inspector.  They arrived in Andelain and rapidly ran to Mortisimus Cemetery where they found a secret room in a tomb next to Spearshaker’s grave.  There they found the purpose of this journey: the lost folio of Spearshaker.  The old tome included three lost plays.  Let Them Eat Ham was about starvation, ghosts, and a zombie apocalypse.  Back Meth was a play about a drug running operation by three witches who smuggled drugs in their false hunchbacks (see 2017: #2-WITCHES).  Chewiest Cheeser was yet another Spearshaker priceless play about food.

The rat, the cat, and the monkey received a lead from King Doom where they might find Lesmond, their alchemist, fleshwarper enslaver.  They magically teleported to the country of Oldive and into a very strange underground base.  What first appeared to be Lesmond’s secret base was really a living, thinking, shape-shifting, teleporting dungeon.  They were all trapped inside, including Lesmond, and the dungeon was devouring anyone it caught, thus acquiring their memories and skills.  The first dungeon level resembled a giant mouth and esophagus which they fell down.  The second level was a deadly digestive disaster with even a huge stomach.  The third level was respiratory, and the fourth level was reproductive.  In the fourth level, Lesmond was himself enslaved by the living dungeon to create monsters for it.  Lesmond also created a humanoid body for it.  The adventure concluded with them escaping, and Lesmond was captured and went to prison.  Even though the dungeon was destroyed, its consciousness escaped in its new humanoid body, an extremely dangerous entity.

The rat, the cat, and the monkey have other ambitious plans for this current adventuring season.  Tir'ko wants to destroy the rat-men Nezumi deathmasters who have moved into the Dorse Badlands.  They tracked the Nezumi deathmasters to a mountainous base.  They discovered that the deathmasters have rediscovered the ancient death magic of the Black Wind, a wind that turns all it touches into undead in seconds.  The three are currently on this mission.  Afterwards, they will all sail back to their island homeland of Aleutia to explore the dark islands of The Shadowlands.  Next up, they will finish Neo on Danger Island.  And then they will end their third adventuring season by returning to Xanxia to hopefully defeat the blue dragon that holds the ruined city.  It’s never a dull day for the rat, the cat, and the monkey!

[planar-echoes]

Preparation (Dominaria) By Nik Davidson (5/29/13)

"There's no such thing as a fair fight."

The artificer had been at work for thirty hours straight, and she was exhausted. This wasn't the longest stretch she had worked on a project, not by half. But those projects had been driven by the muse, by love, or by inspiration. Those had been works of joy. Joy fills the soul during times like those. There was no joy in this work. A dozen different timepieces of varying size and make all ticked away, counting down the hours to her execution.

She didn't have the power for a spell like this, so she had to cheat. The first step was the amplification circle: Five feet in diameter, silver filigree etched in fresh black marble. More than six hundred unique runes in the outermost circle, then seven smaller rune circles, perfectly concentric, detailing the precise time, location, and energy level of the spell that would target it. It would need to be flawless. If it worked, it would allow her to pull off a feat of magic that even her old mentor would have hesitated to try. Otherwise, the spell would fail in one of an infinite number of spectacular ways. Almost none of those ways involved her walking away.

A small insect-like construct brought her a new chisel, fresh plates of silver inlay, and a glass of cold water. She grabbed a rag, wiped her hands and forehead, and pushed a lock of auburn hair out of her eyes. She had seven hours before she needed to be back in her cell, and she was nowhere near done.

The artificer stared at the spell circle. She squinted. Her eyes burned, dry from too much detail work and not nearly enough sleep. She saw no flaws, but this was worth checking a second time. And a third. She gave it a satisfied nod before turning to her workbench.

There sat a small crystal sphere with an orange light swirling inside. She took a deep breath and picked it up very carefully. With slow, deliberate steps, she walked it over to the spell circle, and set it down very slowly. It made a small "tink" sound as she let go, and she winced... a long second passed, and she slowly exhaled. She backed away from the sphere and wiped her forehead again. With a mischievous smile, she took a piece of paper from her desk, jotted a quick note on it, and then placed it next to the sphere. Two steps down. Now the hard part.

Channeling this much energy hurt. The room was filled with an unearthly blue light—the artificer had conjured an opaque magical dome of force, nearly as tall as she was, that completely covered the spell circle. Her face was locked into a pained grimace, her teeth grinding from the effort, as she put everything she had into creating a perfect barrier. She didn't have any shortcuts for this bit of magic; she just poured everything in her mind and heart and soul into the dome, and held absolutely nothing back. She wanted to stop. She needed to stop. But the part of her that had been hammered into steel through decades of tireless work knew something else—she knew that she needed to hold the spell for a few more seconds. Seconds that trickled by like hours. That crept like days. She was screaming now, but she couldn't hear herself.

The spell came to an end with an explosion. It sent her flying across the room, skipping off the top of her cluttered workbench, and smashing into a bookshelf. Countless gizmos and half-finished projects were smashed, dozens of beakers shattered, and sheaves of paper were launched into the air. The spell circle, and everything it contained, had been completely annihilated by the device.

As the papers fluttered to the ground, the room was filled with the ringing sound of a young woman, flat on her back, bruised and aching, laughing at the top of her lungs.

The artificer was shaken awake by one of her traveling companions—a merchant who had been captured along with her a week before. Unlike her, he didn't have the good fortune of being able to transport himself away to safety. So when she found out these barbarians were planning on killing her and her companions as part of some crazy solstice ritual, she briefly considered just teleporting away and leaving them to their fate. Briefly. But then she learned that she'd be allowed to fight, champion against champion, as part of the ceremony. That sounded like fun, and abandoning these poor people to their deaths did not.

A ritually painted and fur-clad man with arms as big around as the artificer's waist glared at her through the bars of her cell. He knew she was a mage, but she had been careful not to cast any spells that would draw attention during her supposed "captivity." She had been transporting herself to and from her laboratory fairly freely at night, but if they had noticed, they hadn't given any sign.

The man grunted, opened the cage door, and gestured for the artificer to follow. The camp was clearly prepared for a day of celebration. The rough tents all had some kind of ribbon or ornamentation, and a ring of barricades had been assembled for the contest. If she didn't know the purpose of all of this was to be bloody ritual combat, followed by a series of murderous sacrifices to a sun god, she would have thought the display quite festive. The sun was bright in a perfectly clear sky. She couldn't have asked for a nicer day. She was led to a small pen at the edge of the ring. Her guard grunted and gestured for her to wait. She did.

The tribe started to gather around the contest ring, and the barbarian champion was already being prepared by the tribe's shaman and his acolytes. Even from across the field, the artificer could feel the immense power they were wielding. Whether learned in the academy or some stinking mud hut, power was power. Too many at the academy thought that when you bind power in a book, you gain a monopoly over it. Too few of them remained to regret that line of thinking.

The assembled crowd started to chant their champion's name, a young warrior who looked to be in the prime of his life—tall, lean, muscled, and unscarred, with thick dark hair in a loose braid down his back.

"GRELL! GRELL! GRELL! GRELL!"

The shamans concluded their ritual and raised their arms for silence. It was somewhat disquieting just how quickly the tribe went perfectly still. To the artificer's ears, the shaman sounded like any other charlatan preacher—a deep, booming voice with a little edge of menace in his tone to keep the crowd in line.

"HEAR ME! We, the children of the light that warms us, we, the children of the summer plains! We give thanks to the most mighty on this, the longest of days, when the one who burns above is mightiest of all!"

A roar came up from the crowd, right on cue, then quickly subsided.

"In his honor, we offer a show of our strength! In his honor, we offer a show of our devotion! In his honor, we offer the blood of our enemies!"

Another cry from the crowd.

"We have given our champion all of the sun's blessings! We have given him all of our might!"

At this, two men entered the ring, one with what looked to be small tree trunk, and the other a metal bucket.

"On this day, our strength can withstand any blow!" The man with the tree trunk swung it like a club, and it shattered into splinters when it struck Grell. The crowd roared.

"On this day, our will can withstand any flames!" The man with the bucket threw its contents over Grell—oil—that burst into flames. Grell stood, wreathed in the fire, unmarred. The crowd gasped, then screamed its awed approval.

"Son of the tribe, while the light of the longest day shines upon your skin, you are INVINCIBLE!"

The artificer swallowed hard. She had been prepared for all this, researched it all as soon as she understood what was planned for the captives, but facing off against an invincible foe was unsettling, despite her precautions. The shaman turned his eyes on her.

"You there, challenger of the outlands? I am told you are a great warrior among your people!"

A chuckle rippled through the crowd.

"I can fight," she said.

"And a great wizard as well! This is what your fellows say of you! Are you a great wizard, champion?"

"Not nearly as great as some." There was a note of sadness in her voice.

"And you willingly take on the fates of the outlanders under your protection? Your fate shall be theirs?"

"Let's just get this over with."

A variety of weapons were brought forth for her to choose from. She took a small dagger from the rack and strode out into the middle of the ring. Grell had been handed a pair of small stone axes. Drums started to roar, and the crowd followed suit.

Grell's face was a manic grin. The artificer had no idea how much energy was being channeled through the man, but it was a lot, and chances were he was feeling good. With a well-practiced gesture, she sent two bolts of flame streaking toward him, and in a shower of embers, they spattered across his chest. He was unharmed, of course. Grell raised his arms in triumph to the crowd. The artificer gritted her teeth.

She rushed at him, dagger in a reverse grip. She slashed at his face, and Grell jumped back. The instinct to get out of the blade's path was still there, even though he knew she couldn't hurt him. He leapt at her, taking careful, powerful swings with the axes, but the artificer rolled deftly out of the way.

As she rolled through the dust, she palmed a small object from her belt. When he charged at her again, she tossed it at him—a tiny construct, shaped like an ant, with a reservoir of a glowing cyan liquid in its abdomen. It sprang to life, and latched unnoticed on to Grell's loincloth, providing the anchor for the artificer's next spell.

She managed to duck under Grell's next swing, but his massive forearm caught her across the chest on the backswing—the force of it lifted her off the ground. She hit the ground hard, and pulled herself up to one knee. Grell raised his arms again in triumph, taking in the adulation of the crowd before delivering the intended killing blow, when the artificer whispered the word of power that released all of her prepared magic.

"Let's see if this worked."

There was a slight pop, and Grell vanished from sight.

Grell blinked. There air was cold here, and it tasted wrong. He found himself trapped inside an opaque magical dome of force, glowing with blue swirls of arcane energy. On the ground was a small glowing sphere and a handwritten note. He pounded his fists against the barrier, but it absorbed his strikes without making a sound. The glowing sphere was brightening, and the orange light inside looked increasingly... unstable. It began to emit a high-pitched hum, and it started to shake. Frantic, he looked at the note.

The solstice is tomorrow. I win.

—Jhoira